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☆ Ukraine is using its advanced Leopard tanks like long-range artillery instead of penetrating battle vehicles, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is using Leopard tanks more like long-range artillery than attack vehicles, AFP reported. AdvertisementUkraine is using the advanced Leopard tanks it received from its Western allies defensively rather than as penetrative offensive weapons, news agency Agence France-Presse reported. A Leopard tank's 120mm cannon has an effective range of about 2.4 miles, while an M777 howitzer has a 13-mile range, more than 5 times as far. AdvertisementUkraine's allies agreed to give it Leopard tanks in January, after months of Ukrainian requests and after pressure from its smaller allies that didn't have any of their own to give. AdvertisementWhile Ukraine waited, Russia built formidable defenses and turned Ukraine into the world's most heavily mined country.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: AFP, Service, Agence France, Ukraine's 21st Mechanised Brigade, Leopard Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's, Swedish

☆ Nvidia’s Rivals Prepare Their AI Assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AMD CEO Lisa Su has told investors that the company expects $2 billion in revenue from its new AI chips next year. Photo: robyn beck/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesNvidia was never going to have the artificial intelligence market all to itself. The past year has certainly made it seem that way, though. Nvidia’s sales have more than doubled—and its market value more than tripled—as major tech companies snapped up the company’s chips to capitalize on the explosive interest in generative AI sparked by the launch of the ChatGPT online chatbot a year ago. Intel and Advanced Micro Devices , two of Nvidia’s largest competitors, have seen their data-center sales shrink lately as the tech giants operating those networks have redirected their spending toward Nvidia’s specialized chip platforms.

Persons: Lisa Su, robyn beck Organizations: Agence France, Nvidia, Intel, Devices

☆ Activist Flees Hong Kong After Re-Education Trip to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Elaine Yu | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow was arrested in Hong Kong in 2020. Photo: Vernon yuen/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesHONG KONG—Prominent Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow said she was exiling herself in Canada after getting her passport back from police in return for taking a patriotic trip to China, an exchange that sheds light on Hong Kong’s efforts to re-educate political opponents. Chow, who is on police bail while under investigation on suspicion of national-security crimes, said she was taken across the border to mainland China in August by five Hong Kong officials. In the neighboring city of Shenzhen, she was taken to an exhibition documenting China’s achievements and to the headquarters of tech company Tencent.

Persons: Agnes Chow, Vernon yuen, exiling, Chow Organizations: Agence France, Getty, HONG, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, HONG KONG, Canada, China, Shenzhen

☆ Activist Flees Hong Kong After Patriotic Education Trip to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Elaine Yu | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow was driven away from her home by police in Hong Kong in 2020. Photo: Vernon yuen/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesHONG KONG—Prominent pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow said she was exiling herself in Canada after getting her passport back from police in return for taking a patriotic trip to China, an exchange that sheds light on Hong Kong’s efforts to re-educate political opponents. Chow, who is on police bail while under investigation on suspicion of national-security crimes, said she was taken across the border to mainland China in August by five Hong Kong officials. In the neighboring city of Shenzhen, she was taken to an exhibition documenting China’s achievements and to the headquarters of tech giant Tencent.

Persons: Agnes Chow, Vernon yuen, exiling, Chow Organizations: Agence France, Getty, HONG, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, HONG KONG, Canada, China, Shenzhen

☆ AT&T Drops Nokia for Ericsson in $14 Billion Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Drew Fitzgerald | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AT&T said its shift to Ericsson will fast-track its network overhaul and allow it to buy hardware and software from a broader range of suppliers in future years. Photo: patrick t. fallon/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesAT&T struck a deal with Ericsson to buy up to $14 billion of its hardware and services after the Swedish equipment supplier pledged to open up its software to competing systems. The five-year agreement would move virtually all of AT&T’s new purchases of certain cell-tower equipment to Ericsson, replacing existing machinery from Finnish rival Nokia in many markets. The Dallas-based telecom giant said it plans to start the swap next year and aims to have 70% of its wireless network traffic passing through open platforms by late 2026.

Persons: patrick Organizations: Ericsson, fallon, Agence France, Getty, Nokia Locations: Swedish, Dallas

☆ Vouchers Helping Families Already in Private School, Early Data Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Matt Barnum | Alicia A. Caldwell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Arizona became the first state to offer funding for private or home schooling to any family who opts out of public schools. Photo: Olivier Touron/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWhen Doug Ducey signed an expansive and unprecedented school choice law as Arizona governor last year, he pitched it as a way to help students escape struggling public schools. “Our kids will no longer be locked in underperforming schools,” Ducey said in a statement at the time. “We’re unlocking a whole new world of opportunity for them and their parents.”

Persons: Olivier Touron, Doug Ducey, ” Ducey, ” Organizations: Agence France Locations: Arizona

☆ One Supreme Court Case Could Mess Up Chunks of the Tax Code
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Richard Rubin | Jess Bravin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A sweeping ruling by the Supreme Court could upend many rules affecting partnerships, multinational companies and bond investors. Photo: mandel ngan/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—A case that could punch holes in the federal tax code heads to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The court will hear arguments in Moore v. U.S., which challenges a piece of the 2017 tax law that imposed a one-time levy on profits that companies had accumulated outside the U.S. But its implications could reach much further, providing the justices an opportunity to define what Congress can tax under the Constitution—and what it can’t.

Persons: mandel ngan, Moore Organizations: Agence France, Getty, WASHINGTON Locations: Moore v .

☆ Why Biden Touts Jobs When Americans Care About Prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Annie Linskey | Amara Omeokwe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden has built the case for a second term by saying his policies have strengthened the labor market. Photo: andrew caballero-reynolds/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—President Biden likes to talk about “jobs, jobs, jobs” when touting his economic record. The problem is that voters are far more worried about prices, prices, prices. The disconnect is one reason why his Bidenomics re-election pitch is landing flat despite a broadly resilient U.S. economy that has defied expectations. Prices have gone up by 19% since the start of the pandemic, a hard-to-forget leap that has left voters in search of someone to blame.

Persons: Biden, andrew caballero, reynolds Organizations: Agence France, Getty, WASHINGTON —

☆ The Surprise Bill Coming to Those Who Underpay Their Taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Ashlea Ebeling | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Rising interest rates factor into the Internal Revenue Service’s latest move on taxes. Photo Illustration: WSJ; STEFANI REYNOLDS/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesFailing to keep up with tax payments now could lead to an expensive surprise come next spring. As of Oct. 1, the Internal Revenue Service is charging 8% interest on estimated tax underpayments, up from 3% two years ago. The increase is one of the many effects of rising interest rates.

Persons: STEFANI REYNOLDS Organizations: Agence France, Internal Revenue Service

☆ 60 Journalists Have Been Killed in the Israel-Gaza War. My Friend Was One of Them. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Lama Al-Arian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I was sitting in my apartment in Beirut on the evening of Oct. 13 when I read that journalists had been struck by a missile attack in southern Lebanon. My close friend, Issam Abdallah, was working in the area as a cameraman for Reuters to cover the border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah after the war in Gaza began just days earlier. I couldn’t remember the last time he let one of my calls go to voice mail. In one video, a journalist for Agence France-Presse lies in a pool of blood, screaming that she can’t feel her legs. A wave of nausea washed over me as I watched rescue workers wrap Issam and his severed leg in a white sheet, his body charred, barely recognizable.

Persons: Issam Abdallah, Issam Organizations: Reuters, Agence France, Presse Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Syria

☆ Britain’s Royal Family Is Again Embroiled In Allegation of Racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

King Charles’s response to the latest commotion surrounding the British monarch has been to continue to keep quiet and turn up at public events. Photo: cameron smith/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesLONDON—Allegations of racism in the British monarchy were again thrust into the public domain this week after a translation of a book claimed that King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales, were the mystery royals who had allegedly discussed concerns about the skin color of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ’s son before his birth. The claim was made in a Dutch translation of “Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” which was quickly pulled by the publishers who said the names had appeared in error. On Friday, virtually every major British newspaper and broadcaster revealed the names.

Persons: King, cameron, King Charles, Catherine , Princess of Wales, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry ’ Organizations: Agence France, British

☆ What the Scale of Displacement in Gaza Looks Like
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Zach Levitt | Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

That number is expected to rise after Israel issued a new evacuation order on Saturday for areas in the south. WEST BANK North Gaza GAZA STRIP Israel Mediterranean Sea Gaza 75,000 Area of initial evacuation order 5,000 Deir al Balah Number of people Khan Younis Area of Dec. 2 evacuation order ISRAEL GAZA STRIP Rafah EGYPT 5 mi. North Gaza WEST BANK GAZA STRIP Area of initial evacuation order Israel Mediterranean Sea Gaza 75,000 Deir al Balah 5,000 Number of people Khan Younis Area of Dec. 2 evacuation order GAZA STRIP ISRAEL Rafah 5 mi. Schools that have sheltered displaced people and have been damaged Minor Moderate Major damage WEST BANK North Gaza GAZA STRIP Israel Area of initial evacuation order Gaza Mediterranean Sea Deir al Balah Area of Dec. 2 evacuation order Khan Younis ISRAEL GAZA STRIP Rafah EGYPT 5 mi. North Gaza WEST BANK GAZA STRIP Mediterranean Sea Israel Area of initial evacuation order Gaza Deir al Balah ISRAEL Khan Younis Area of Dec. 2 evacuation order GAZA STRIP Rafah 5 mi.

Persons: Salah al, ”, Yousef Hammash, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasaballah, Samar Abu Elouf, al Balah ISRAEL, Mr, Hammash, “, North Gaza Gaza Deir al Balah Khan Younis, Deir al Balah, Mohammed Salem, Omar El Organizations: Din, Maxar Technologies, Israel, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, WEST BANK, “, Norwegian Refugee Council, The New York Times, UNICEF, World Health Organization, Reuters, Agence France Locations: Gaza City, GAZA, Israel, Gaza, WEST, Gaza GAZA, ISRAEL GAZA, Rafah EGYPT, Deir al, ISRAEL Rafah, EGYPT, United, Samar, Gaza’s, al Balah, Khan Younis ISRAEL GAZA, al, al Balah ISRAEL Khan, North Gaza, North Gaza Gaza Deir al, North Gaza Gaza Deir al Balah Khan Younis Rafah, Deir, Rafah, Omar

[1/4] French police secures the access to the Bir-Hakeim bridge after a security incident in Paris, France December 2, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - One person died and two others were injured after a man attacked tourists in central Paris near the Eiffel Tower, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Saturday. Police quickly arrested the 26-year-old man, a French national, using a Taser stun gun, Darmanin told reporters. The suspect was on the French security services watch list and was also known for having psychiatric disorders, the interior minister added. The attack took place around 1900 GMT when the man attacked a tourist couple with a knife on the Quai de Grenelle, a few feet away from the Eiffel Tower, mortally wounding a German national.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq, Gerald Darmanin, Darmanin, Akbar, Dominique Vidalon, Gilles Guillaume, Nick Zieminski, Matthew Lewis, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Saturday . Police, Eiffel, Agence France Presse, Olympic Games, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Grenelle, Afghanistan, Palestine, Gaza

☆ Neiman Marcus Rejects $3 Billion Takeover Bid by Saks
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Suzanne Kapner | Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A merger of Saks and Neiman could help the chains negotiate better terms with suppliers and allow them to strip out duplicate costs. Photo: ed jones/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesSaks Fifth Avenue wants to buy rival Neiman Marcus. But the two luxury retailers can’t agree on the terms of a marriage. This week, Neiman rejected Saks’s most recent takeover offer, which valued the upscale chain at close to $3 billion, according to people familiar with the situation. Neiman objected to the deal’s structure, a significant portion of which wasn’t in cash, some of the people said.

Persons: Neiman, Neiman Marcus Organizations: Saks, Agence France

☆ Chasing Neiman Marcus: Saks’s Latest Merger Bid Is Rejected
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Suzanne Kapner | Lauren Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Neiman, Neiman Marcus Organizations: Saks, Agence France

☆ Texas Ordered to Remove Buoy Barrier at Southern Border
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Alicia A. Caldwell | Elizabeth Findell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A string of buoys in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas, has largely failed to deter migrants from entering the U.S. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesA federal appeals court has ordered the state of Texas to remove a 1,000-foot floating barrier deployed in the Rio Grande to block migrants from crossing the border illegally. A three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 Friday to reinstate a lower court’s ruling that the barrier illegally blocked the river and should be taken out of the water.

Persons: Suzanne Cordeiro Organizations: U.S, Agence France, Fifth U.S, Circuit, Appeals Locations: Rio, Eagle, , Texas, Texas

☆ FDIC Faces Internal Reckoning Over Toxic-Culture Allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Rebecca Ballhaus | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg appearing before a House committee last month. Photo: saul loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is facing an internal reckoning over allegations of widespread harassment and discrimination, with many employees left skeptical about the agency’s commitment to overhaul its culture. In the weeks since a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that a toxic culture at the FDIC had prompted many female bank examiners to quit over the years, there have been internal debates over who should oversee an external investigation and blowback from employees on multiple division-wide calls.

Persons: Martin Gruenberg, saul loeb Organizations: Agence France, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Street, FDIC

☆ Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom Debate on ‘Hannity’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Molly Ball | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

California Gov. Ron DeSantis clashed repeatedly on crime, immigration and economic policies. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom , a Democrat, faced off for a more than 90-minute debate, moderated by Fox News’s Sean Hannity and airing live on the cable network. Wall Street Journal parent News Corp and Fox parent Fox Corp.share common ownership.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Ron DeSantis, Fox News’s Sean Hannity Organizations: Florida Gov, Agence France, Republican, California Gov, Democrat, Wall Street, News Corp, Fox Locations: California, Florida

☆ Hamas Releases More Hostages as Negotiators Push for Long-Term Truce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hamas Releases More Hostages as Negotiators Push for Long-Term TruceHamas handed over a fifth group of hostages on Tuesday, including 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals, Israeli officials said. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Organizations: Hamas, Agence France

☆ The Pandemic Blunder Weighing on the Shipping Industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Costas Paris | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Nov. 29, 2023 10:00 am ETShipbuilders have orders totaling about 26% of the world’s containership capacity. Photo: roslan rahman/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesContainership operators rushed to order new vessels during the pandemic as booming demand for consumer goods was expected to fuel global trade for years to come. Their timing couldn’t have been worse.

Persons: roslan rahman Organizations: Shipbuilders, Agence France

☆ Biden to Limit Chinese Role in U.S. EV Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Andrew Duehren | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

How the government defines battery materials from a ‘foreign entity of concern’ could have sales implications for Ford Motor and other makers of electric vehicles. Photo: jeff kowalsky/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesThe Biden administration is expected to release tax-credit rules on Friday that could shape the American market for electric vehicles, people familiar with the matter said. The U.S. last year revamped a $7,500 tax subsidy for people who buy new EVs. One of the changes says consumers won’t be able to claim the credit if they purchase cars containing battery materials from a “foreign entity of concern.” Lawmakers included the rule in the Inflation Reduction Act to push automakers to rely less on dominant Chinese suppliers.

Persons: jeff kowalsky, Biden, won’t, ” Organizations: Ford Motor, Agence France, U.S, ” Lawmakers

☆ Prosecutors Charge Indian Man With Trying to Kill Sikh Activist in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hindu nationalists at a recent rally in New Delhi held a banner depicting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the alleged target of an assassination plot. Photo: arun sankar/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesU.S. prosecutors charged an Indian man with trying to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil, a dramatic development that threatens to cause new rifts in the deepening relationship between allies Washington and New Delhi. In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, prosecutors said Nikhil Gupta paid someone he thought was a hit man $100,000 to murder the target, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an advocate for carving out an independent Sikh homeland from the north Indian state of Punjab.

Persons: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, arun sankar, Nikhil Gupta Organizations: Agence France, Getty Locations: New Delhi, American, U.S, Washington, Punjab

☆ China’s Manufacturing PMI Edged Lower, Signaling Continued Weakness
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An employee works on solar photovoltaic modules at a factory in Haian in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: str/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesAn official gauge of China’s manufacturing activity indicated contraction for a second consecutive month in November, signaling continued weakness in the economy despite Beijing’s recent efforts to juice up growth amid a protracted housing slump. China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index slipped to 49.4 in November from 49.5 in October, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion in activity while a reading below it indicates contraction.

Organizations: Agence France, National Bureau of Statistics Locations: Haian, China’s, Jiangsu

Hindu nationalists at a recent rally in New Delhi held a banner depicting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the alleged target of an assassination plot. Photo: arun sankar/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesAn Indian government employee tried to have a vocal Sikh critic of New Delhi assassinated in New York earlier this year, U.S. prosecutors alleged, a dramatic development that threatens to cause new rifts in the deepening relationship between Washington and New Delhi. The allegation, laid out in an indictment unsealed Wednesday, follows on suspicions Canada aired about a similar plot linked to Indian government agents in which masked gunmen murdered a Sikh activist in the parking lot of his British Columbia temple. Canada in part relied on U.S. intelligence to make that assessment, which was met with official outrage in India.

Persons: Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, arun sankar Organizations: Agence France, An, Canada Locations: New Delhi, Delhi, New York, Washington and New Delhi, British Columbia, Canada, India

☆ He Bought a Piece of the Chrysler Building. Now His Empire Is Falling Apart.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eliot Brown | Margot Patrick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

René Benko’s company Signa is filing for insolvency, casting uncertainty over a property empire that includes a stake in upscale British retailer Selfridges. Photo: georg hochmuth/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesThe property slump sweeping the globe has claimed a new high-profile victim: René Benko, an Austrian-born retail and department-store magnate who also co-owns New York’s Chrysler Building. Benko’s main holding company, Signa Holding, said Wednesday it is filing for insolvency in Austria. The move, similar to U.S. bankruptcy procedure, puts billions of dollars of company debt at risk and casts uncertainty over a property empire that includes stakes in the largest department store chains in Europe, upscale British retailer Selfridges and a now-stalled Hamburg tower that would have been among the tallest in Germany.

Persons: René, Signa, georg hochmuth Organizations: Selfridges, Agence France, Chrysler, Signa Locations: Austrian, Austria, Europe, Hamburg, Germany

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