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☆ Exclusive: UK debt agency treads careful path to sell near-record volume of bonds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

After finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced his budget plans earlier on Wednesday, the DMO said it would need to sell 241.1 billion pounds ($291 billion) of government bonds in the 2023/24 financial year - the highest on record apart from 485.8 billion pounds sold in 2020/21. The Bank of England is no longer a buyer in the market, and instead is reducing its own gilt holdings by 80 billion pounds a year. "We can issue larger cash amounts in, for instance, a short-dated auction than in a long- or index-linked auction," Stheeman said. Over the coming year, the DMO aims to sell 86.7 billion pounds of short-dated bonds, 65.3 billion pounds of medium-dated, 50.1 billion pounds of long-dated gilts and 26.2 billion pounds of inflation-linked debt. The medium- and long-dated debt includes 10 billion pounds of 'green' bonds - a volume that is capped by the requirement for the government to designate investment projects which meet certain environmental criteria.

☆ Nicaragua closes Vatican embassy in Managua, Nicaraguan embassy to Vatican
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A bishop sprinkles water on the catholic parishioners at the Metropolitan Cathedral, as a suspension of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and the Vatican has been proposed according to a Nicaragua's foreign ministry statement, in Managua, Nicaragua March 12, 2023. REUTERS/StringerVATICAN CITY, March 12 (Reuters) - Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has ordered the closure of the Vatican Embassy in Managua and that of the Nicaraguan Embassy to the Vatican in Rome, a senior Vatican source said on Sunday. Nicaragua signalled that the move, which came a few days after Pope Francis compared the Nicaraguan government to a dictatorship, was "a suspension" of diplomatic relations. The Vatican source said that while the closures do not automatically mean a total break of relations between Managua and the Holy See, they are serious steps towards that possibility. A year ago, the Vatican protested to Nicaragua over the effective expulsion of its ambassador, saying the unilateral action was unjustified and incomprehensible.

☆ Nicaragua closes Vatican embassy in Managua, Nicaraguan embassy to Vatican - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Almost 30,000 Amazon employees have signed an internal petition to fight the company's return-to-office mandate. Read the full copy here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

New mandate requires most office workers to come into the office at least 3 times a week starting in May. About 3 weeks since the announcement of the new policy, more than 29,200 Amazon employees have signed an internal petition opposing the mandate. Roughly 30,000 Amazon employees have joined that Slack channel, which was created shortly after the RTO announcement. In the petition, Amazon employees added internal data supporting continued remote work and dozens of comments explaining why they oppose the change. A 2013 Stanford University study of Chinese workers found that remote workers are 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts.

☆ Japanese police arrest diners accused of 'sushi terrorism,' after videos of pranksters licking soy sauce bottles and rubbing saliva on conveyor-belt food goes viral
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese police arrested three diners accused of "sushi terrorism." Unhygienic pranks in Japan's conveyor belt sushi restaurants have become a viral sensation. In recent weeks, videos have spread on social media of diners in Japan's famed Kaiten-sushi restaurants performing unhygenic stunts. Japanese Police said they arrested a 21-year-old, a 19-year-old, and a 15-year-old after they allegedly performed "sushi terrorism" stunts at a restaurant in Nagoya, central Japan, on February 3. Kura Sushi is installing AI cameras in its restaurants to monitor for sushi terrorism, while Sushiro, another popular chain, is shuttering its conveyor belts system for unordered food.

☆ Meta will keep releasing AI tools despite leak claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 6 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) on Monday said it will continue to release its artificial intelligence tools to approved researchers despite claims on online message boards that its latest large language model had leaked to unauthorized users. Facebook owner Meta maintains a major AI research arm and last month released LLaMA, short for Large Language Model Meta AI. Unlike some rivals such as OpenAI, which keeps tight wraps on its technology and charges software developers to access it, Meta's AI research arm shares most of its work openly. But AI tools also contain the potential for abuse, such as creating and spreading false information. "It’s Meta's goal to share state-of-the-art AI models with members of the research community to help us evaluate and improve those models," Meta said.

☆ Bird flu alarm drives world towards once-shunned vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

"That's why every country in the world is worried about bird flu," French agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said. But the fear of trade restrictions remains centre stage for countries reluctant to vaccinate poultry against bird flu. Bird flu can also mutate rapidly and reduce the efficacy of vaccines while programmes are costly and time consuming, as shots often need to be administered individually. Ceva said it was using the mRNA technology used in some COVID shots for the first time in poultry vaccines. The global market for bird flu vaccines would be about 800 million to 1 billion doses per year, excluding China, said Sylvain Comte, corporate marketing director for poultry at Ceva.

Workers who get paid in cash, especially sex workers, face extra challenges during tax season. But people who work in cash economies — like sex workers, bartenders, servers, and side-hustlers who get paid in cash — face additional challenges during tax season. "I just remember feeling so paralyzed any time I thought about finance," sex worker and tax preparer Daisy Douglas tells Insider. Insider's Featured Tax Software Tax SlayerLiberty TaxH&R Block Tax Software Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. "Assert your rights and let them know that this is the way tip income is supposed to be reported."

☆ What Is Fentanyl and Why Is It So Dangerous?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Julie Wernau | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The opioid crisis has only intensified as more illicit drugs have entered the market. Drug overdose deaths reached a record high in 2021, with more than 100,000 people lost to the continuing epidemic, fueled by the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl. The drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times that of morphine. Illicit forms of fentanyl are mainly manufactured by drug cartels in Mexico and spreading in the U.S.Here’s what to know about fentanyl:

☆ Pope voices his concern for imprisoned Nicaraguan bishop
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

VATICAN CITY, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday spoke of his concern over the imprisonment of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in the Latin American country. The Pope's comments about Alvarez, who is a vocal critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, were made in his weekly blessing to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square. Ortega has accused Catholic leaders of attempting to overthrow him after protests that killed about 300 people in 2018. Since then, the government of the former Cold War-era Marxist rebel has expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries. Alvarez was convicted on Friday of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges.

☆ Nicaraguan Catholic bishop sentenced to prison, stripped of citizenship
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rolando Alvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Esteli and critical of the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, prays at a Catholic church where he is taking refuge alleging he had been targeted by the police, in Managua, Nicaragua May 20, 2022. REUTERS/Maynor ValenzuelaMANAGUA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - A Nicaraguan court sentenced Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez to a more than 26-year prison term on Friday, a day after the cleric and critic of President Daniel Ortega declined to be expelled to the United States as part of a prisoner release. Alvarez was convicted on charges of undermining national integrity and spreading false news, and during Friday's court hearing it was also announced that he would be fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. Last August, police arrested Alvarez, bishop of the Matagalpa diocese, after dislodging him after he had barricaded himself in church property for several weeks along with other priests. Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nicaraguan Catholic bishop sentenced to decades in prison, citizenship stripped
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Ismael Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Alvarez, bishop of the Matagalpa diocese, was convicted of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges. During Friday's court hearing it was also announced that he would be fined and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship. Originally scheduled for late March, the sentencing of the bishop, widely known by the Catholic honorific monsignor, was sped up without explanation. Rolando Alvarez is irrational and out of control," Silvio Baez, a senior Nicaraguan bishop exiled in Miami, wrote on Twitter after the sentence. A cameraman for a Catholic television channel was also arrested with them.

☆ Australia's Norfolk Island braces for Cyclone Gabrielle impact
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Cyclone Gabrielle, headed for New Zealand, brought destructive winds to Australia's Norfolk Island on Saturday as it continued to track towards the tiny external territory in the Pacific Ocean. Gabrielle, a Category 2 tropical cyclone with winds of up 155 kilometres per hour (96 mph), was 325 km (miles) northwest of Norfolk Island, where conditions were deteriorating, Australia's weather bureau said early on Saturday. "The community are doing the right thing and we're in as good a place as we can be," Norfolk Island Administrator Eric Hutchinson told ABC television. The country's weather forecaster, MetService, said it expected Gabrielle to move towards New Zealand in coming days. Last month, Auckland and parts of the North Island were hit by record rainfall that sparked widespread floods and killed four people.

☆ Cities in Tennessee are constantly getting named the best places to move. Are they?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tennessee cities like Chattanooga and Knoxville often show up on lists of the best places to live. Even smaller Tennessee cities have experienced an influx in movers. Even Nashville dwellers are turning their back on city life and spreading out in smaller Tennessee towns like Clarksville, Pleasant View, and Ashland City, according to Frate. "In 2017 my average sales price was in the $180,000s," Frate said. "Now my average sales price is in the low to mid $300,000s."

☆ Factbox: Who was freed in Nicaragua's surprise political prisoners release?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cristiana Chamorro and Pedro Joaquin ChamorroCristiana Chamorro was placed under house arrest in 2021, just as she was leading Ortega in polls to unseat him as president at elections. Her brother Pedro Joaquin Chamorro was also arrested and jailed the same month, according to newspaper La Prensa. Arturo CruzAn academic who was Nicaragua's ambassador to the United States between 2007 and 2009, Cruz was arrested in 2021 after returning to Managua from Washington. Like Mairena, he was arrested in 2021 over accusations of crimes during the 2018 protests. On Thursday, he declined to board the plane to Washington, preferring to stay home instead, one of only two prisoners to do so.

"As showcased by ChatGPT, AI solutions can offer great opportunities for businesses and citizens, but can also pose risks. Under the EU draft rules, ChatGPT is considered a general purpose AI system which can be used for multiple purposes including high-risk ones such as the selection of candidates for jobs and credit scoring. Breton wants OpenAI to cooperate closely with downstream developers of high-risk AI systems to enable their compliance with the proposed AI Act. Breton said the European Commission is working closely with the EU Council and European Parliament to further clarify the rules in the AI Act for general purpose AI systems. Breton said forthcoming discussions with lawmakers about AI rules would cover these aspects.

☆ NATO chief urges closer ties with Japan to defend democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

General Jens Stoltenberg (left) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) on Jan. 31, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. Stoltenberg visits Japan to strengthen bilateral ties between the country and the E.U. Calling it a "critical moment for NATO and for Japan," Stoltenberg, who is visiting Tokyo, said China and Russia are "leading an authoritarian pushback against international rules-based order." "China is not our adversary, but we must understand the scale of the challenge and work together to address it." Kishida said he and Stoltenberg agreed to advance ties in areas such as cyberspace, space, disinformation, and critical and emerging technology.

☆ NATO chief warns that Putin winning in Ukraine would signal to China it can achieve its goals through 'brute force'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that a Russian victory in Ukraine could have global consequences. If Putin wins, it would show countries like China that "brute force" works, he said. "If President Putin wins in Ukraine, this would send a message that authoritarian regimes can achieve their goals through brute force. And spreading disinformation about NATO and the war in Ukraine," he said. And Putin and Xi pledged in late December to deepen cooperation between their two countries.

☆ I was obsessed with my Tesla but Elon Musk convinced me I'd rather drive an electric Mercedes-Benz
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Christine Orita was a loyal Tesla fan for years but recently ditched her Model S for an electric Mercedes-Benz. A 2013 Tesla Model S. AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, FileI took delivery of my car in early 2013. The Mercedes EQS is a superior productI looked at Audi and BMW's electric cars, and their range was just not where I needed it to be. The Mercedes-Benz EQS 450+. I feel so much better to be rid of the Model S.

Between '97 and '02, HBO released TV series like "Sex and the City," "The Wire," and "The Sopranos." Counterprogram, counterprogram, counterprogramFrom its very inception in the early 1970s, HBO executives came to believe that if HBO was to thrive in the long-run, it would have to focus on doing things differently than the big three commercial TV networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC. When HBO executives sent the first episode of "The Sopranos" to a focus group, it scored horribly. The screening was attended by the film's cast, HBO executives, and a collection of Russian dignitaries. Anybody could watch a new TV series from the comfort of their home, and the actors starring in new TV shows were rarely famous.

☆ Detained Nicaraguan Catholic bishop, Ortega critic to face trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANAGUA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A prominent Catholic bishop in Nicaragua who has sharply criticized authoritarian President Daniel Ortega will go to trial while under house arrest, a judge ruled on Tuesday, in the latest clamp down on dissent in the country. Human rights organizations accuse Ortega's government of persecuting the Catholic Church. Another prominent cleric, Bishop Silvio Baez, is in exile in the United States along with a number of other priests who have fled. The president has accused Catholic leaders of trying to overthrow him in a "coup" following anti-Ortega street protests that began in 2018. But as tensions have intensified, Ortega officials have expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries and shuttered more than a dozen Catholic radio and television stations.

☆ Idaho professor sues TikToker over allegations about killing of 4 university students
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The suit, filed Wednesday in Idaho District Court by history department chair Rebecca Scofield, also accused TikTok user Ashley Guillard of falsely alleging that the professor had planned the killings with another University of Idaho student. The lawsuit appears to be the latest example of what one expert called “dangerous” speculation surrounding the quadruple homicide in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13. According to the suit, Scofield, who began working at the university in 2016, never met the slain students, nor had they taken a class with her. “Professor Scofield has never met Guillard,” the suit says. Professor Scofield does know that she has been harmed by the false TikToks and false statements.”The suit adds that the allegations triggered significant emotional distress and damage to Scofield's reputation.

☆ 2023 should be a brighter year for the traditional 60/40 portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Investors who stuck to the traditional portfolio breakdown of 60% allocated to stocks and 40% allocated to bonds were hit hard this year as both asset classes shed value. Bonds also lost value for investors this year, going against the traditional correlation where they act as a hedge to stock market volatility. Still, most analysts don't expect the year to yield a worse performance than 2022 for the standard 60/40 portfolio. That bodes well for investors who still have a traditional portfolio balance. And even though the traditional 60/40 portfolio had a dismal 2022, investors shouldn't write it off.

☆ What Science Tells Us About the Surge in Strep and Flu This Season
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E29Covid Variants Keep Getting More Infectious. Here’s Why. With each mutation, the Covid-19 virus is becoming more transmissible. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez breaks down the science of how Covid variants are getting better at infecting and spreading. Illustration: Rami Abukalam

JAKARTA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Indonesia's new criminal code has grabbed headlines for making sex outside marriage illegal but Islamic parties wanted even harsher punishment for moral crimes in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, accounts of behind-the-scenes negotiations reveal. "We found a middle ground, not only between nationalists and religious parties but also between progressive liberals and conservatives," he said. In forming the laws, a team of legal professors had turned to Indonesia's official dictionary, which defines adultery as any sex outside marriage, not just extramarital sex. The compromise reached in the final version carries a maximum one-year sentence for sex outside marriage and six months for cohabitation. "The Islamic parties benefit from the morality agenda ... while the other parties will benefit from strengthening of authoritarianism," he said.

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