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They said they plan to share the footage with the Justice Department. The main entrance to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Mississippi Department of CorrectionsThe crisis in state prisons had become so acute that Gov. Some changes were already in the works under new leadership, the Justice Department said at the time, with cooperation coming from state officials. The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for further comment.

Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY SportsJan 22 (Reuters) - Quarterback Joe Burrow overcame driving snow and a hostile road environment, leading the Cincinnati Bengals past the favored Buffalo Bills 27-10 and reaching the AFC Championship game for the second straight year. "Complete game from everybody - offense, defense and special teams," said Burrow, who threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals will return next Sunday to Kansas City for a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game against the Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, which the Bengals won 27-24 in an overtime thriller. Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon praised his quarterback for living up to his nickname of Joe Cool in Sunday's pressure-packed game. "Joe Burrow was unbelievable," Mixon said.

☆ Bitcoin rises 2.3% to $23,199
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Bitcoin rose 2.3% to $23,199 at 10:07 GMT on Saturday, adding $521 to its previous close. Bitcoin, the world's biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, is up 40.6% from the year's low of $16,496 on January 1. Ether , the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, rose 0.58% to $1,668.1 on Saturday, adding $9.7 to its previous close. (This story has been refiled to remove the extraneous word in paragraph three)Reporting by Jose Joseph in Bengaluru, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's Kotak Mahindra Bank's Oct-Dec net profit jumps 31%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 21(Reuters) - India's Kotak Mahindra Bank (KTKM.NS) on Saturday reported a 31% increase in standalone net profit for the October-December quarter, aided by a strong topline and healthy loan growth. The private lender's standalone profit stood at 27.92 billion rupees ($344.2 million) compared with 21.31 billion rupees in the same period last year. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and interest expended, rose 30.4% from a year ago to 56.53 billion rupees, while other income rose nearly 54%. The net interest margin was at 5.47% as compared to 4.62% last year. As of Dec. 31, the bank held Covid-related provisions worth four billion rupees.

☆ Kazakh ex-leader Nazarbayev undergoes successful heart surgery - spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ALMATY, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has undergone a successful heart surgery and his life is not in danger, his spokesman Aidos Ukibay said on Friday. Ukibay's tweet followed reports by Kazakh media that Nazarbayev, 82, who ran the oil-rich country for three decades, was hospitalised. Nazarbayev resigned as president in 2019 and lost his remaining positions of power last year after falling out with his successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev amid violent unrest. This month, the Kazakh parliament repealed a law that had given Nazarbayev the title of Yelbasy, or the leader of the nation, and granted legal immunity to his immediate family members. Nazarbayev himself still enjoys immunity from prosecution given to him by the constitution.

The lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, did not specify when the incident took place, describing it only as recent. The news organizations argued last week that the right of the public to know the two sureties' identities outweighed their privacy and safety rights. Bankman-Fried's lawyers said the media groups "assign far too much weight to the presumption of access" and ignored the safety of the guarantors. Prosecutors took no position on whether to disclose the sureties' identities or not, Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote in the filing. Prosecutors interviewed and approved the two individuals on Jan. 4, Cohen and Everdell wrote.

☆ JPMorgan, Standard Chartered win approval to expand in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - JPMorgan (JPM.N) and Standard Chartered won Chinese regulatory approval on Thursday to expand operations in China, as Beijing encourages expansion by foreign companies after lifting its restrictive COVID policies. British bank Standard Chartered (STAN.L) won an approval to set up a new securities brokerage unit in China also on Thursday, the regulator said. Canada's Manulife Financial Corp (MFC.TO) in November received regulatory approval to take full control of its Chinese mutual fund venture. U.S. asset manager Neuberger Berman in the same month won approval to set up a new fund unit in China. "China is certainly going to be bit of a long slog," Alexander said, referring to China's lengthy approval process for foreign companies.

☆ U.S. Treasury's Yellen, China's Liu to meet in Zurich for first in-person talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during her interview with Reuters in New Delhi, India, November 11, 2022. A Chinese official said Liu and Yellen would also touch on the possibility of a world recession. The IMF has warned against decoupling the global economy into two competing blocs, saying it could reduce global economic output by up to 7% - and even more in vulnerable countries. Yellen has met virtually three times with Liu since taking office, and met in Bali, Indonesia, with Chinese central bank governor Yi Gang. Liu will step down this year as part of an overhaul of China's economic leadership disclosed in September.

Aides previously found another batch of classified documents at his residence, and at a Washington think tank he was associated with. Earlier on Friday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer wrote to the White House asking whether Hunter Biden had access to classified documents found at the president's private residence. In addition to examining Biden's handling of classified documents, Republicans are preparing to probe Hunter Biden's past business dealings in Ukraine. Republicans have sought to compare the investigation of Biden's handling of classified documents to the ongoing probe into how Trump handled classified documents after his presidency. The White House said Biden's attorneys found a small number of classified documents and turned them over after discovery.

☆ Schroders gets nod to set up China fund unit as Beijing speeds up approvals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Schroders has obtained Chinese regulatory approval to set up a wholly-owned mutual fund unit in China, as Beijing accelerates opening up its giant financial sector to foreigners. Last month, U.S. asset manager Neuberger Berman celebrated the opening of its China retail fund business, while Fidelity International was granted a mutual fund licence in the country. Authorities have also recently allowed Canada's Manulife Financial Corp (MFC.TO) to take full control of its Chinese mutual fund venture. Setting up a wholly-owned retail fund business in China is testament to Schroder's long-term commitment to the country - a key component of the group's global strategy, the company said in a statement. China scrapped foreign ownership caps in its $3.7 trillion mutual fund industry in 2019, and BlackRock become the first foreign asset manager to open a fully-owned retail fund business in the country.

☆ Actor Ezra Miller gets fine, probation after home break-in
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Actor Ezra Miller pleaded guilty Friday to a charge stemming from a break-in and theft of alcohol at a neighbor’s home in Vermont, one of a string of arrests and reports of erratic behavior last year that stretched from Hawaii to New England. During the nearly 30-minute hearing in Bennington, Miller, 30, answered the judge’s questions but declined to make a statement. Miller pleaded not guilty in October to stealing liquor from a neighbor’s home in Vermont. The homeowner said he had been friends with Miller for about 18 years and bought the home a year and half ago in Stamford, where Miller also had a home, according to the police affidavit. Miller was arrested twice last year in Hawaii, including for disorderly conduct and harassment at a karaoke bar.

☆ Hitachi and Petrofac to work on TenneT offshore power conversion stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

AMSTERDAM, Jan 13 (Reuters) - TenneT, the Dutch-German electricity grid operator, has struck an agreement for Hitachi Energy (6501.T) and Petrofac (PFC.L) to work on two 2 gigawatt (GW) conversion stations it is planning in the North Sea, the company said on Friday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but TenneT said it expects to award full framework contracts this quarter. TenneT is building the conversion stations to collect electricity from offshore wind farms and send it onshore efficiently. The company has been engaged to connect about two thirds of the 65 GW in offshore wind capacity targeted by Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium by 2030. (This story has been refiled to fix the typo in Hitachi in the headline)Reporting by Toby Sterling Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India's NDTV says president, other senior execs resign
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NDTV's chief strategy officer, Arijit Chatterjee, and chief technology and product officer, Kawaljit Singh Bedi, also quit, resignations that come after founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy left the company's board in December. NDTV made several failed attempts to block the takeover, citing regulatory restrictions on moving shares. The ports-to-energy conglomerate's takeover had stoked fears over the freedom of the press among some journalists and led to Ravish Kumar, a senior executive editor at NDTV, resigning soon after Adani acquired its stake. While announcing the latest set of resignations, NDTV, in a regulatory filing, said, "The company is in the process of putting up a new leadership team which will set a fresh strategic direction and goals for the company." (This story has been refiled to correct the typographical error in the fourth paragraph)Reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The government's $1.1 billion share of oil revenue was up sharply from a combined $409 million in profit and royalties in 2021. Guyana is producing about 360,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and aims to raise output to 1.64 million bpd by end of the decade. Guyana's exports averaged 265,693 bpd last year, more than double the 100,645 bpd in 2021, according to shipping data from Refinitiv Eikon. Crude exports from Latin America's newest oil producer almost tripled in 2022, encouraged by rising production and solid demand in Europe in the aftermath of the Ukraine invasion. Total exports represented over $8 billion in gross oil revenue, based on Reuters calculations.

☆ Stocks becalmed before potential CPI storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

European futures rose 0.4%. Bonds held overnight gains and the U.S. dollar was pinned near a seven-month low at $1.0769 per euro . "(It) is the CPI number that could help settle the debate for the February meeting," said NatWest Markets' U.S. rates strategist Jan Nevruzi. U.S. Treasuries added a little to overnight gains, with benchmark 10-year yields down 3.7 bps to 3.5189% and 30-year yields down 4.4 bps to 3.6375%. Foreign exchange markets were elsewhere holding their breath ahead of CPI data while China's reopening kept a bid under Asia's currencies.

☆ Hong Kong set to shortlist crypto tokens for retail trading
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Georgina Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong securities watchdog will propose a subset of tokens it would allow for retail investors' trading, its chief executive said on Wednesday, as it presses on with a new regulatory regime that will make the city more friendly to crypto startups. Hong Kong's move to allow retail trading in cryptocurrencies has come after months of turmoil in the sector, with the collapse of crypto exchange FTX the latest blow. The SFC will start accepting applications for VASP licences, in mid 2024, Leung said. The new crypto regime requires all trading platforms and exchanges to apply for a licence failing which would result in fines and jail terms,Industry sources have said they expected the consultation on retail trading to start within the first quarter. Leung said the tokenization of investment funds and bonds will also fall under the purview of the SFC.

☆ Russia's Wagner Group claims 'liberation' of Soledar, says about 500 Ukrainians killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's private military firm Wagner on Wednesday said his forces had achieved the complete "liberation" of the eastern Ukrainian mining town of Soledar, killing around 500 pro-Ukraine troops. Minutes before, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had mocked earlier Russian claims to control part of the town and said fighting continued. Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin on Tuesday announced his forces had control over Soledar but said battles were still raging in the city centre. [1/3] Ukrainian army, of the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire a German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near Soledar, Ukraine, January 11, 2023. (This story has been refiled to revise the headline and the first paragraph to change the word "liberated" to "liberation".)

☆ Italian, Japanese leaders agree to form "strategic partnership"
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a news conference at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, January 10, 2023. REUTERS/Remo CasilliROME, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida agreed at a meeting on Tuesday to strengthen ties in a range of spheres including the economy, trade and defence, the leaders said. "We have agreed to elevate our relations to the level of a strategic partnership," Meloni told reporters in a brief statement after the meeting in Rome. Among the fields of heightened cooperation, Kishida, speaking through an interpreter, cited diplomacy, investment, railways and cinema. (This story has been refiled to remove a typo in the lead)Reporting by Gavin Jones, editing by Crispian BalmerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran sentences Belgian aid worker to 40 years in prison, Tasnim reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sentence imposed on aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, was more severe than the 28-year term Belgium had reported in December. It said Vandecasteele, who was arrested while on a visit to Iran in February last year, could appeal the verdict. Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib condemned Vandecasteele's "arbitrary detention" on Twitter and said Iran's ambassador to Brussels would be summoned in protest at the sentencing. "The family is devastated by the news," Olivier Van Steirtegem, who is Vandecasteele's best friend and has been acting as the family's spokesperson, told Reuters. "Olivier is a victim, a hostage," Van Steirtegem said, adding that the Belgian government should do everything possible to free Vandecasteele and condemn Iran's "hostage diplomacy".

REUTERS/Francis KokorokoLONDON/ACCRA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Ghana requested on Tuesday to restructure its bilateral debt under the common framework platform supported by the Group of 20 major economies, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. Ghana's debt restructuring under the common framework aims to include non-Paris club members, such as China in debt relief talks. Reuters reported first on Thursday that Ghana was seeking debt treatment under the G20 programme. Some bondholders said Ghana opting to go down the common framework route put the prospect of a swift resolution further out of reach. "With the common framework and the poor track record on the timeline for that, it just makes things more uncertain," said Anders Faergemann, portfolio managers at PineBridge Investments.

☆ Michigan Democratic Senator Stabenow will not seek re-election in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) listens during a Senate Finance Commmittee hearing on President Biden's 2023 budget, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, the chair of the agriculture committee and a key lawmaker on electric vehicle and cryptocurrency policy, said on Thursday she will not seek re-election in 2024. Democrats currently control the Senate by a narrow 51-49 majority but must defend 23 seats in the 2024 election - including seats of three independents who caucus with Democrats - while Republicans have 10 seats to defend. The current $428 billion farm bill expires on Sept. 30. About 75% of farm bill funds go toward anti-hunger programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also called food stamps.

☆ Exclusive: Paraguay election race puts Taiwan ties on a knife-edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Paraguay is one of only 14 nations globally that retains diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the only South American country to do so. "Paraguay must have relations with China," Alegre said in a recent interview after being named presidential candidate. "We hold this critical position towards relations with Taiwan because we don't think we get enough back from this relationship." Santiago Pena, the Colorado Party candidate, said Paraguay's over six decades of ties with Taiwan would remain intact if he won the April 30 vote. "What we produce is enough for a neighborhood in a city in China, but what interests (Beijing) is us breaking ties with Taiwan.

☆ Japan to tighten COVID border controls for travellers from China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Japan will toughen from Sunday its COVID-19 border control measures for travellers from China, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, in response to a surge of infections among such visitors. Additional measures will require negative coronavirus tests before passengers board direct flights from China, Kishida said on Wednesday, stepping up measures adopted on Dec. 30. Japan will continue to ask airlines to limit additional flights from China, he told a nationally televised New Year news conference. "Necessary restrictions are still put in place as we are taking all possible measures to prevent infections," Kishida added. Most European Union nations favour pre-departure testing for travellers from China, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

☆ Iran frees actress Alidoosti, jailed over anti-government unrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Iran has released top Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti on bail, state media reported on Wednesday, weeks after she was detained for criticizing a crackdown on anti-government protests that have rocked the Islamic Republic for months. The semi-official ILNA news agency, citing her lawyer, said "Alidoosti, who was arrested on December 17, was released today on bail", without giving further details. Her picture, taken in front of Tehran's notorious Evin prison, was widely shared on social media. The Islamic Republic has so far executed two people involved in mass protests. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group has said that at least 100 detained protesters face possible death sentences.

☆ Oil slides after IMF says slowing global growth engines portend tougher 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies International Monetary Fund FollowSINGAPORE, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Oil prices slid on Tuesday from their highest levels in a month on a stronger dollar and after the head of the International Monetary Fund warned of a tougher 2023 as major economies experience weakening activity. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Sunday that the United States, Europe and China - the main engines of global growth - are all slowing down simultaneously, making 2023 tougher than 2022 for the global economy. Still, oil prices settled more than 2% higher on Friday with Brent and WTI closing 2022 up 10.5% and 6.7%, respectively. Commodities saw a substantial $12.3 billion bullish flow in the week that ended on Dec. 27, the single largest weekly bullish flow in 2022, Societe Generale analysts said in a Jan. 3 note. However, January oil products exports from Tuapse is expected to fall to 1.333 million tonnes, traders said.

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