DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Inside the crucial final hours as American diplomats tackled last minute obstacles to bring five Americans imprisoned in Iran home
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Senior State Department officials spoke to CNN about what happened on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive details. The Iranians even threatened not to include all five of the Americans in the release unless the US did more, the officials told CNN. “We held our line and the Iranians backed down and we made it work,” a senior State Department official said. But the Qatari officials, in a smooth diplomatic maneuver, countered that they would be offended if everyone did not eat while on board the Qatari plane and an agonizing final delay was avoided. ET, the US plane carrying the seven Americans, Carstens, Paley and other US officials departed Doha en route to the US.

Persons: Iran Abram Paley, Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, “, ”, didn’t, “ They’re, “ We’ve, “ couldn’t, Morad, Emad Shargi, Effie, Vida, Siamak, Karim Jaafar, Carstens, Paley, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, ” Shargi Organizations: CNN, Senior State Department, Hostage Affairs, Qatari, Swiss, State Department, Central Bank, Doha International Airport, Getty, Defense, “ CNN Locations: United States, Iran, Tehran, Doha, South Korea, Qatar, Emad Sharqi, AFP, Washington, DC, Fort Belvoir , Virginia, PISA, Fort Belvoir

☆ US wildland firefighter pay threatened by Republican feud in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Firefighters cannot be held hostage to congressional infighting," said Lucas Mayfield, president of the advocacy group Grassroots Wildland Firefighters. More than 10 million acres were affected in 2015 and 2017. Last year, the cost of suppressing wildfires across 7.6 million acres surpassed $3.5 billion, according to the center. "Now is not the time ... to be engaging in this kind of the political gamesmanship around something as important as the livelihood of our wildland firefighters," he told Reuters. Neguse and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona, have introduced legislation in their respective chambers that would avoid the pay cliff and authorize future pay increases for wildland firefighters.

Persons: Matthew A, Foster, Handout, Mike Simpson, Joe Biden, Lucas Mayfield, Mayfield, Joe Neguse, Kyrsten Sinema, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Alistair Bell Organizations: Force, U.S . Army National Guard, Staff, REUTERS, Rights, Interagency Fire, Idaho Republican, Reuters, Republicans, Democrats, Democratic, Biden, Grassroots, Firefighters, Republican, National Interagency Fire Center, Colorado Democrat, House, Thomson Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, U.S, Washington, West, British Columbia, Idaho, United States, Neguse, Arizona

REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The fires that tore through the Canadian province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50% more intense, according to the analysis by World Weather Attribution group, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather. "Climate change is greatly increasing the flammability of the fuel available for wildfires – this means that a single spark, regardless of its source, can rapidly turn into a blazing inferno," said Yan Boulanger, a research scientist at Natural Resources Canada. Scientists reviewed weather data, including temperature, windspeed, humidity, and precipitation, and used computer models to assess how climate change had altered fire weather this year, comparing it to preindustrial climate. The Quebec fires are just one sliver of what has been the country's worst wildfire season on record.

Persons: Dan Riedlhuber, Yan Boulanger, Philippe Gachon, Gloria Dickie, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Natural Resources, University of Quebec, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Thomson Locations: Okanagan Lake, West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, Quebec, Natural Resources Canada, Montreal, Yellowknife, Territories, London

☆ Spreading State Restrictions on China Show Depths of Distrust in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Alan Rappeport | More About Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

They are likely to pose another challenge for the administration, which has dispatched several top officials to China in recent weeks to try to stabilize economic ties. But while Washington may see a relationship with China as a necessary evil, officials at the state and local levels appear determined to try to sever their economic relationship with America’s third-largest trading partner. “The shift that we have seen to the states is relatively recent, but it’s gaining strength.”One of the biggest targets has been Chinese landownership, despite the fact that China owns less than 400,000 acres in the United States, according to the Agriculture Department. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a powerful interagency group known as CFIUS that can halt international business transactions, reviewed the proposal but ultimately decided that it did not have the jurisdiction to block the plan. However, the Air Force, citing the mill’s proximity to a U.S. military base, said this year that China’s involvement was a national security risk, and local officials scuttled the project.

Persons: ”, Mario Mancuso, Kirkland & Ellis Organizations: Kirkland &, Agriculture Department, Fufeng USA, Foreign Investment, Air Force Locations: China, United States, Washington, American, Grand Forks, N.D, U.S

☆ Canada wildfires: what are the causes and when will it end?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Here are some questions and answers about Canada's wildfires, which have charred millions of hectares and polluted the air in that nation and the U.S.WHAT PARTS OF CANADA HAVE WILDFIRES HIT? Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year the eastern provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec and parts of Ontario have also reeled from out-of-control wildfires. This week, the focus returned to the west, as wildfires burned about 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Yellowknife, the capital of the vast, sparsely populated Northwest Territories. As of Wednesday, there were 1,054 active wildfires in Canada, including 230 in the Northwest Territories and 669 deemed out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Widespread spring fires across the whole of Canada are also unusual, and research shows fire seasons across North America are getting longer.

Persons: Pat Kane, Mike Westwick, De Beers, Lytton, Fort Smith, Justin Trudeau, Ellen Whitman, David Ljunggren, Divya Rajagopal, Ismail Shakil, Rod Nickel, Jonathan Oatis, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Reuters Graphics, Northwest, Enterprise, Northwest Territories, Diamond, Atlantic Canada, Canadian, Canadian Forest Service, Thomson Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, U.S, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest, Hay, Fort McMurray, United States, Fort, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, East Coast, New York, Washington, Chicago, North America

☆ Fact Check-Drone video shows California, not Hawaii
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video showing an area of destroyed buildings surrounded by pine trees in Paradise, California, has been miscaptioned online to say it shows Maui, Hawaii, following the wildfires in August 2023. The Maui wildfires have become the deadliest in the US in more than a century, killing at least 99 people and forcing thousands to evacuate (here). But the video circulating online shows the impact of the Camp Fire, a devastating wildfire in November 2018 that hit the Northern California town of Paradise (here). An aerial photograph from coverage of the 2018 blaze in California shows the same area (here), (see image 18 in the gallery), (ibb.co/XVHrRw8). This video shows the aftermath of the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018.

Persons: Greg Crutsinger, Crutsinger, Read Organizations: NBC, KCRA, Reuters Locations: Paradise , California, Maui, Hawaii, “ Hawaii, Northern California, Paradise, California

☆ Maui wildfires: What are the deadliest wildfires in US history?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The causes of the Hawaii wildfires, which started on Tuesday night, have not yet been determined. Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Sunday called a part of the island of Maui that was devastated by wildfires a "war zone". Reuters GraphicsHOW MANY DIED IN THE CLOQUET AND GREAT HINCKLEY FIRES? Since 2018, wildfires in the United States have destroyed nearly 63,000 structures, the majority of which were homes. In 2022, there were 66,255 wildfires in the United States, compared with 18,229 in 1983, when record keeping began, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Persons: Josh Green, Peshtigo, Partridge, Hinckley, Stephen Culp, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: National Fire Protection Association, Historical Society, Reuters, HINCKLEY, Library of Congress, NFPA, Federal Emergency Management Association, FEMA, Environmental Protection Agency, Interagency Fire Center, Fire, Hinckley, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Thomson Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Hinckley, Mission, Miller, United States, California

☆ US nurse, child safely released in Haiti two weeks after kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

View shows the "El Roi", a Christian community site where the American nurse Alix Dorsainvil used to work before being kidnapped with her child, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti August 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. nurse and her child have been safely released after their kidnapping in Haiti two weeks ago, a faith-based humanitarian aid organization where the nurse works said on Wednesday. "We are so thankful for everyone who joined us in prayer and supported us during this crisis," humanitarian aid organization El Roi Haiti said in a statement. The nurse, Alix Dorsainvil, and her child were kidnapped from El Roi Haiti's campus near Port au Prince on July 27. In most cases, children and women are forcefully taken by armed groups and used for financial or tactical gain, UNICEF said.

Persons: Alix Dorsainvil, Ralph Tedy Erol, El Roi, El, Ismail Shakil, Simon Lewis, Jonathan Oatis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, El, Port au Prince, Children's Agency, UNICEF, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Port, Prince, Haiti, U.S, El Roi Haiti, El Roi Haiti's, Port au, Ottawa, Washington

☆ Canadian wildfire emissions double previous record as flames rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The estimated Canadian fires emissions account for over 25% of the global total for 2023 to date, and are well above the previous Canadian record of 138 million tonnes registered in 2014, Copernicus said on Thursday. This year's wildfire season is also the worst on record for area burned, with about 131,000 square kilometres (50,579 square miles) already scorched across eastern and western Canada. Wildfire smoke is linked to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and more visits to emergency rooms for respiratory conditions. It's estimated that Canada's northern boreal forest stores more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon — equivalent to several decades worth of global carbon emissions. The carbon released is roughly equivalent to Indonesia's annual carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Persons: Jesse Winter, Copernicus, Mark Parrington, Ismail Shakil, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, OTTAWA, Atmospheric Monitoring Service, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, New, Thomson Locations: Canada, U.S, Washington, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Greece, New York City, Toronto, Ottawa

It began Friday in the New York Mountains of California’s Mojave National Preserve and crossed state lines into Nevada on Sunday. The fire is burning through and threatening groves of Joshua trees – the branching, spiky plants of the Mojave Desert that can live more than 150 years. The Mojave National Preserve is a significant hotspot for biodiversity, with one conservationist calling it the “crown jewel” of the deserts of Southern California. But rain in the Mojave Desert, which is seasonal and scarce, “poses a unique challenge to firefighters,” the Mojave National Preserve said. They will be on the lookout for desert tortoises, making sure to avoid burrows and active individuals,” the Mojave National Preserve said.

Persons: Joshua, Joshua trees, Marc Peebles, Cody Hanford, “, ” Hanford, David Swanson, ” Laura Cunningham, ” Cunningham Organizations: CNN, York, Land Trust, Getty, Mojave, KVVU, National Park Service, Park Service Mojave National, Firefighters, National Interagency Fire Center, Preserve, “ Locations: California, Nevada, New York, Southern California, Mexico, AFP, Cima

☆ York Fire in Nevada and California spawns 'fire whirls'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A massive, out-of-control fire burning across both California and Nevada is generating extreme fire behavior, spawning “fire whirls” and creating dangerous conditions for firefighters, authorities said. Firefighters battling the blaze have seen fire whirls – “a vortex of flames and smoke that forms when intense heat and turbulent winds combine, creating a spinning column of fire,” the Mojave National Preserve said Sunday. Crews battlling the York Fire faced "fire whirls" Sunday in the Mojave National Preserve, California. Ty O'Neil/AP“These fire whirls are similar to dust devils but are specifically associated with the heat and energy released by a wildfire,” the Mojave National Preserve said. The struggle to control the York Fire has allowed smoke to reach into Nevada and southern Utah, the fire incident overview noted.

Persons: Crews, Ty O'Neil, “, Carr, Jesse Winter, Jeffrey Todd, Erick Thompson, SpokanSector, Hayden Organizations: CNN, York, US, California -, Firefighters, Preserve, National Interagency Fire Center, National Interagency, Center, Reuters, British Columbia Wildfire Service, Regional, of, US Border Patrol Spokane Sector, Facebook, Forest, US Forest Service Locations: California, Nevada, New, Canadian, California - Nevada, , California, Redding , California, Utah, East Las Vegas , Boulder City, Henderson, Clark County , Nevada, Canada, Washington, Washington’s Okanogan County, Bluff, British, Osoyoos, of Okanagan, Oroville, ”, Challis, Leadore , Idaho

☆ Middle-income Americans think prosperity is within reach
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Santander recently released a quarterly survey of about 2,250 middle-income bank and financial services customers (defined as having household incomes between $47,000 and $142,000.) Illegal child labor is on the rise in a tight job marketUS child labor violations have jumped in recent years. Now, the Department of Labor has announced actions it’s taken so far this year through a new interagency task force on child labor. Between October 1, 2022, and July 20, 2023, the Department of Labor concluded 765 child labor cases, found 4,474 children employed in violation of federal child labor laws and assessed more than $6.6 million in penalties against employers, the agency announced on Thursday. In addition, the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases.

Persons: New York CNN —, Tim Wennes, “, ”, Bell, they’re, they’ll, they’ve, That’s, We’re, we’ve, BlackRock, Tupperware, it’s, Labor Julie Su, Jordan Barab, Obama, Barab Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal, Heartland Tri, State Bank of, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, First Bank, Spain’s Santander, SC, Santander, New York Stock Exchange, GameStop, AMC, Libra Investment, Department of Labor, Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Labor Department Locations: New York, PacWest, Banc, California, State Bank of Elkhart , Kansas, America, United States, Santander, Florida, noncompliance, Tupperware

☆ Alix Dorsainvil: What we know about the American nurse kidnapped with her child in Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Alisha Ebrahimji | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Before Alix Dorsainvil was kidnapped with her child in Haiti, the American nurse described Haitians as a “resilient people” who are “full of joy and life and love.”Her comments came in a video on the website of El Roi Haiti, the Christian humanitarian aid organization for which she works. Dorsainvil, the wife of El Roi Haiti Director Sandro Dorsainvil, and their child were reportedly abducted Thursday morning while serving in their community ministry on El Roi Haiti’s campus near the capital city Port-au-Prince, according to a statement from the non-profit. The same day, the US State Department ordered the departure of nonemergency government personnel from Haiti as the security situation in the country deteriorates. Dorsainvil, a nurse from New Hampshire, moved to Haiti after her husband invited her to the Haitian school to provide nursing care for the children, Dorsainvil explained in an undated video on the organization’s website. “Please pray for Alix Dorsainvil,” the school said.

Persons: Alix Dorsainvil, ”, Dorsainvil, El Roi, Sandro Dorsainvil, Sandro Dorsainvil’s alma, ” Dorsainvil, “, ” El, ” “ Alix, Jesus, Antoinette Hays Organizations: CNN, El Roi Haiti, US State Department, Authorities, United, School, State Department, U.S . Department of State, Department of State, U.S, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Regis College, ” Regis Locations: Haiti, El Roi Haiti, El, El Roi Haiti’s, Port, United States, Canada, United Nations, New Hampshire, Montana, ” El Roi Haiti, U.S, Wakefield, Weston , Massachusetts

☆ BC wildfires: Explosive Washington fire burns across Canadian border and forces evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An out-of-control blaze burning in northern Washington state exploded in size, crossed the Canadian border and set off a cascade of evacuations over the weekend. Evacuations were ordered on Saturday for more than 700 properties in the Canadian town of Osoyoos, British Columbia, after the fire crossed the border. The fire remains completely uncontained in both countries, according to Washington and Canadian fire officials. The United States’ fire season has been pacing below average in terms of acres burned so far this year. The US wildfire season may pick up pace as August arrives.

Persons: ”, Jesse Winter, “, ” Bruce Ralston Organizations: CNN, National Interagency Fire, York, United, National Interagency, Center, Environment Canada, Forests, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Locations: Washington, Washington’s Okanogan County, Canadian, Osoyoos, British Columbia, Okanogan County , Washington, Canada, Southern, California, Nevada, United States, Pacific Northwest, Mississippi

☆ The Biden administration just announced plans to crack down on more than 4,400 new cases of child labor in the US since October
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Department of Labor is heightening enforcement of child labor laws through new partnerships and tactics. On Thursday, the Department of Labor announced it would take more measures to crack down on illegal child labor nationally, including heightening enforcement of child labor laws through new tactics and partnering with other agencies and foreign governments. "Like the President, we believe that any child working in a dangerous or hazardous environment is one child too many." This comes after the department's February 2023 announcement of the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation, created in response to a 69% increase in illegal child labor findings from 2018 to 2022. Sixteen more McDonald's franchise locations in Louisiana and Texas were found in violation of child labor laws last week, impacting 83 minors.

Persons: Biden, Labor Julie Su Organizations: of Labor, Service, Department of Labor, Labor, Department of Health, Human Services, Refugee Resettlement, The Department of Labor, Housing, Urban Development, Transportation, US Small Business Administration, Commission, The Labor, State, Department of Education, Interagency, Force, Combat, The Locations: Wall, Silicon, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Minnesota, Kentucky , Indiana , Maryland, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri , Ohio, South Dakota

☆ Officials found suspected Chinese malware hidden in various US military systems. Its intended use is disruption rather than surveillance, a 'disturbing' change in intent, experts say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Suspected Chinese malware has been identified in several US military systems. US officials told the Times that investigations into Chinese malware had been underway for several months and that the malicious code had infiltrated US military systems across the country and abroad. Previous cyberattacks typically aimed to surveil US operations, experts told the Times. "China is steadfast and determined to penetrate our governments, our companies, our critical infrastructure," the deputy director of the National Security Agency, George Barnes, said at the Intelligence and National Security Summit earlier this month. Now, experts say this new wave of malicious code has the ability to disrupt US military and civilian operations.

Persons: George Barnes, Rob Joyce, cybersecurity, Antony Blinken, Adam Hodge, Biden Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Microsoft, Andersen Air Force Base, Times, National Security Agency, Intelligence and National Security, NSA, CNN, State Department, House, National Security Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, The, Guam, United States

☆ Illegal child labor on the rise with nationwide violations found, Labor Department says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

JBS has said that they do not tolerate child labor and that they would stop using PSSI at every location where the child labor violations were alleged to have occurred. In addition, the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases. Officials at the Labor Department emphasized in a press call this week that the increase in child labor violation findings is partially due to “significantly enhanced child labor enforcement efforts” in recent months. The fight to weaken child labor lawsThe Department of Labor on Thursday said its interagency task force on child labor has begun cross-training with other governmental agencies like Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to identify and report possible incidences of child labor exploitation. But at the same time that violations of child labor protections are rising, states across the country are introducing legislation to weaken child labor laws.

Persons: it’s, ”, Labor Julie Su, Jordan Barab, Obama, Barab, JBS, Cargill, ” PSSI, PSSI, “, That’s, DOL, Karen Garnett, Tiffanie Boyd, there’s, David Weil, Weil, Jaehoon, Jay, Chang, ” McDonald’s, they’re, Biden, Sen, Rich Draheim, “ That’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Labor Department, Packers Sanitation Services Inc, Cargill, JBS, Department of Labor, Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, PSSI, Blackstone Group, CNN, McDonald’s, of, “ Employers, Heller School for Social Policy, Management, Brandeis University, Hyundai, Kia, Health, Human Services, Refugee Resettlement, US Department of Agriculture, Economic, Institute, Minnesota, Republican Locations: New York, Nebraska, JBS USA, Minnesota, Louisiana, Texas, Louisville , Kentucky, McDonald’s, United States, DOL, Alabama, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Missouri , Ohio, South Dakota, Arkansas, Iowa, America

☆ US nurse, child abducted in Haiti, non-profit organization says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. nurse and her child have been kidnapped in Haiti, a faith-based humanitarian aid organization said on Saturday. "We can confirm that Alix Dorsainvil, our director’s wife, and their child were kidnapped on the morning of Thursday, July 27th from our campus near Port au Prince while serving in our community ministry," El Roi Haiti said on its website. The statement gave no further information on the age or gender of the child. “We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement. “We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners.”Reporting by Paul Grant; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alix Dorsainvil, “, ”, Paul Grant, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Haiti, Port au Prince, El Roi Haiti

CNN —An American nurse and her child have been kidnapped in Haiti, according to El Roi Haiti, the Christian humanitarian aid organization she works for. Alix Dorsainvil, wife of El Roi Haiti Director Sandro Dorsainvil, and their child were reportedly abducted Thursday morning, according to a statement on El Roi Haiti’s website. The two were taken while serving in their community ministry on El Roi Haiti’s campus near capital city Port-au-Prince, the post read. “Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family. Dorsainvil, originally a nurse from New Hampshire, moved to Haiti after her husband invited her to a Haitian school to provide nursing care for the children, Dorsainvil said in a video on the organization’s website.

Persons: Alix Dorsainvil, El Roi, Sandro Dorsainvil, El, “ Alix, Alix, Jesus, Dorsainvil Organizations: CNN, El Roi Haiti, El Roi Haiti’s, State Department, U.S . Department of State Locations: Haiti, El Roi Haiti, El, El Roi, El Roi Haiti’s, Port, New Hampshire, U.S

July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. banks should incorporate the Federal Reserve's emergency lending facility known as the "discount window" as part of their contingency funding plans, federal banking regulators said in updated guidance on Friday. The discount window, a key Fed facility long associated with providing emergency loans to banks, is "an important tool" banks can use to manage liquidity risk, bank regulators including the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said in an updated interagency policy statement. The bank runs earlier this year that forced regulators to shut down Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in mid-March "underscored the importance of liquidity risk management and contingency funding planning," the agencies said. The updated guidance comes after Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said in May that banks should be prepared to borrow regularly from the Fed's discount window, particularly after the March bank failures demonstrated the importance of effective liquidity risk management. The bank regulators also said that financial institutions should establish and maintain operational readiness to use the discount window, including conducting periodic small value transactions.

Persons: Lorie Logan, Hannah Lang, Dan Burns, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Bank, Signature Bank, Dallas, Thomson Locations: Washington

July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. banks should incorporate the Federal Reserve's emergency lending facility known as the "discount window" as part of their contingency funding plans, federal banking regulators said in updated guidance on Friday. The discount window is "an important tool" banks can use to manage liquidity risk, bank regulators including the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said in an updated interagency policy statement. Bank runs in mid-March that forced regulators to shut down Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank "underscored the importance of liquidity risk management and contingency funding planning," the agencies said. "Banks are now working to see that they are ready to use the discount window, and we are strongly encouraging them to do that," he said. Reuters GraphicsThe guidance also said financial institutions should establish and maintain operational readiness to use the discount window, including conducting periodic small value transactions.

Persons: Lorie Logan, Jerome Powell, Banks, Hannah Lang, Dan Burns, Marguerita Choy, Richard Chang Organizations: Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Bank, Signature, Dallas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ South Korea launches interagency investigation team to tackle rising crypto crimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 26 (Reuters) - South Korea launched an interagency investigation unit to tackle crypto-currency crimes on Wednesday amid a surge in illegal activities in the market and a lack of legal protections for investors. The Joint Investigation Centre for Crypto Crimes will be manned by some 30 personnel from judicial, financial, tax and customs agencies, the Prosecutors' Office said in a statement. The Prosecutors' Office said that until the crypto-currency market was regulated under law, the investigation team would fill the gap in investor protection. South Korea's crypto-currency market, which had been one of the fastest growing in the world, shrank 66% last year by market capitalisation, on a series of global and domestic events dampening investor sentiment, on top of high interest rates. Across local crypto-currency exchanges, suspected crime-related transactions jumped 1,263%, to 900 in 2022 from 66 in 2021, according to the statement.

Persons: Luna, Kown, 1,278.5000, Jihoon Lee, Michael Perry Organizations: Joint Investigation, Crypto, Prosecutors, Office, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Montenegro, United States

☆ Up in Smoke: Canada’s Outdoor Summer Season
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Vjosa Isai | More About Vjosa Isai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fishing trips to Canada are a tradition for Jeffrey Hardy and his three friends from Vermont. They have, since 2001, been anglers loyal to Quebec’s northern wilderness, where the walleye are plentiful and the cellphone service is not. This summer, the crisp forest air coveted by recreationists visiting Canada was instead polluted with smoke as wildfires have torn through millions of acres, blocking roads, destroying campgrounds and forcing tourism operators to scramble during peak season. “Everybody was excited to go because Canada had been shut down for all of Covid.”The country’s worst wildfire season on record is straining the outdoor segments of Canada’s tourism industry at a crucial time in its rebound from years of pandemic travel restrictions. Of the 28.6 million acres that have burned across the country so far, more than 11.6 million acres were in Quebec, the most of any province, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Persons: Jeffrey Hardy, ”, Hardy Organizations: recreationists, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Locations: Canada, Vermont, St, Albans, Vt, Bermuda, Quebec

CNN —Smoke from more than 1,000 wildfires burning across Canada has wafted over the northern US, bringing poor air quality and pollution that threaten residents’ health to northern US cities including Chicago, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bulk of the country’s wildfires are burning in British Columbia, where more than 460 fires are ongoing, the agency reports. The EPA in Illinois has declared an “Air Pollution Action Day” through Tuesday due to the “persistent” wildfire smoke causing elevated air pollution in the region. Wildfire smoke is packed with tiny pollutants – known as particulate matter – that can infiltrate the lungs and blood stream if inhaled. Hundreds of British Columbia’s fires have been ignited by lightning strikes from thunderstorms, according to the British Columbia Wildfire Service.

Persons: Wednesday – Organizations: CNN, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, National Weather Service, Wednesday, US Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Canada, British Columbia, Canadian Armed Forces, Public Safety Canada, British Columbia Wildfire Service Locations: Canada, Chicago , Illinois, Minneapolis , Minnesota, Chicago , Minneapolis, Detroit , Michigan, Great, British Columbia, Michigan, Minnesota , Wisconsin , Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Vermont, Alabama, Midwest, Minneapolis, Chicago, Illinois, Wisconsin, Europe, Australia, Brazil, British

☆ Buttermilk trail: Woman found dead on Montana trail following apparent bear encounter, wildlife officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Melissa Alonso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A portion of the Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana is closed after a woman was found dead following an apparent bear encounter, wildlife officials said. Grizzly bear tracks were found near the woman’s body, which was discovered Saturday on the Buttermilk Trail, west of the town of West Yellowstone, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said in a statement. “The Custer Gallatin National Forest has issued an emergency closure of the Buttermilk area for human safety,” the statement said. Grizzly bear populations have expanded in the area in recent years, the statement from wildlife officials said. Montana wildlife officials are urging people to be “bear aware,” including carrying and knowing how to use bear spray, traveling in groups when possible and never approaching a bear.

Persons: “ Organizations: CNN, Custer, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Wildlife, Parks, Interagency, Bear Committee Locations: Custer Gallatin, Montana, West Yellowstone , Montana Fish, Yellowstone, Grizzly, Idaho , Montana , Washington and Wyoming

Search resuls for: "Interagency"

25 mentions found