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☆ Taras Stepanenko and Ruslan Malinovskyi keep playing despite Russia's invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Amid all the chaos and confusion, Stepanenko decided that his family would be safer hiding in the basement of their home. Midfielder Taras Stepanenko leads Ukraine out against Brentford B on March 23. A career amid conflictIn addition to representing his country, Stepanenko is proud to play for Shakhtar Donetsk, which is one of Ukraine’s biggest clubs. Like Stepanenko, he sees playing football as his national duty and a way of repaying those fighting on the frontline. Both Malinovskyi and Stepanenko will be key members of the Ukrainian national team in its bid to qualify for the European Championships, hosted by Germany, in 2024.

☆ Factbox: Lu Shaye: Chinese envoy who questioned Ukraine's sovereignty no stranger to controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It is not the first time Lu Shaye, 58, a prominent practitioner of China's abrasive 'wolf warrior' diplomacy, has courted controversy since taking up his post in Paris in 2019. A transcript of Lu's remarks posted on the Chinese embassy's official WeChat account were subsequently deleted. Asked about Lu's comments on Monday, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing respects the sovereignty of all former republics of the Soviet Union, which was dissolved in 1991. Lu said that Taiwanese people had been brainwashed by ideas about independence, and that they can become patriots after being "re-educated". Beijing repeatedly criticised western countries for mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic by not doing enough to prevent the virus from spreading.

Carlson, the highest-rated single host at Fox News, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The decision to part ways with Carlson was made Friday evening by Fox Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News chief executive Suzanne Scott, a person familiar with the matter said. During his time as a prime time host on Fox News, Carlson ascended to become one of the most influential figures inside the GOP. In a text on Nov. 5, 2020 — two days after the 2020 election — Carlson wrote his producer Alex Pfeiffer: “We worked really hard to build what we have. Last month, she sued Fox News, Carlson, his executive producer Justin Wells and other figures, as well as Fox’s parent corporation.

☆ Heavy gunfire quickly shatters Sudan truce deal pushed by U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"We have not received any indications here that there's been a halt in the fighting," United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing in New York. The ceasefire deal will not extend beyond the agreed 24 hours, Army General Shams El Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan's ruling military council, said earlier on al Arabiya TV. A Reuters reporter in Khartoum said he heard tanks firing shortly after the truce was due to take hold. In video verified by Reuters, RSF fighters could be seen inside a section of the army headquarters in Khartoum. Maxar satellite imagery of destroyed fuel trucks at fuel depot in Khartoum, Sudan.

The regular army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) issued statements accusing each other of failing to respect the ceasefire. "We have not received any indications here that there's been a halt in the fighting," United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news briefing in New York. The fighting has triggered what the United Nations has described as a humanitarian catastrophe, including the near collapse of the health system. Fighting also raged in the west of the country, the United Nations said. [1/7] Satellite image shows a closer view of a burning building at the Merowe Airbase, Sudan, April 18, 2023.

☆ Russia conscription: Putin set to make it harder for men to avoid call-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“We have been expecting the second mobilization wave for a long time now, and this is the beginning,” Irina, a 51-year-old psychologist whose son is of mobilization age, told CNN from Moscow. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images“I don’t believe a word of this,” Alexey, a 41-year-old lawyer from Moscow, told CNN. Currently, conscription documents in Russia must be hand-delivered by the local military enlistment office or through an employer. The prospect of leaving Russia has been a realistic one for many who oppose the war, and who have avoided or fear a call-up. Artem told CNN he is exploring the possibility, but sees few options and fears being unable to find work abroad.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: SVB deposits and loans find a buyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. By all appearances, First Citizens Bank is a willing buyer of SVB — unlike UBS' forced marriage with Credit Suisse, orchestrated by Swiss regulators. Deutsche Bank is not another Credit Suisse in two key aspects. Deutsche Bank reported a 1.8-billion-euro ($1.98 billion) net profit, giving it an annual net income for 2022 of 5 billion euros. By contrast, Credit Suisse had a fourth-quarter loss of 1.4 billion Swiss francs ($1.51 billion), bringing it to a full-year loss of 7.3 billion Swiss francs.

☆ Here's how to spot a good growth stock, according to one fund manager
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Growth stocks have been enjoying a rebound after a miserable 2022. And the tech sector in particular — a favorite among investors seeking exposure to growth stocks — has been a bright spot amid the banking turmoil. "As a growth manager … one of the things we're trying to think about is, how do you identify good growth businesses?" He said one of the biggest risks of growth investing is paying too much today for future growth. Future growth is very difficult to predict, he said, adding that historical growth isn't particularly indicative of future growth.

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Deutsche Bank is not Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Deutsche Bank AG branch in the financial district of Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday, May 6, 2022. Deutsche Bank is the latest bank to suffer a panic-driven sell-off. Deutsche Bank is not another Credit Suisse in two key aspects. By contrast, Credit Suisse had a fourth-quarter loss of 1.4 billion Swiss francs ($1.51 billion), bringing it to a full-year loss of 7.3 billion Swiss francs. On the other hand, Credit Suisse disclosed it had to use "liquidity buffers" in 2022 as the Swiss bank fell below regulatory requirements of liquidity.

☆ Wall Street downgrades European banks and names stocks to buy 'in case markets turn sour'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wall Street is downgrading European banks after stresses in the sector led to the emergency merger of the two largest lenders in Switzerland. The bank's strategists said — in a report titled "A dozen stocks in case markets turn sour" — their list of 12 buy-rated stocks would prove resilient during broad market sell-offs. The list includes companies such as Nokia , Sodexo , and SAP among others that strategists at Deutsche Bank Research said could outperform broader markets during recessionary environments. Meanwhile, they said that Sodexo's defensive growth profile is also expected to lead to top-line growth of 8-10% this year. Deutsche strategists Maximilian Uleer and Caroline Raab added that the German tech giant SAP had finished its costly cloud investments and is now starting to see benefits from the transformation.

☆ A longtime bear is ‘creeping back’ into tech — and has some picks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tech investor Paul Meeks — an unabashed longtime tech bear — is also beginning to warm to the sector. "I'm creeping back into the sector after long advocating an underweight position in it," he said in notes to CNBC on Friday. Chip makers NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics also made Meeks' list, with the tech investor saying they are two stocks that he "likes very much." Outside of semiconductors, Meeks is also looking at German software firm SAP . "Keep an eye on SAP because this windfall for them could be a really nice blessing, a game-changer," he added.

Swiss authorities brokering Credit Suisse's (CSGN.S) rescue merger with UBS (UBSG.S) have said 16 billion Swiss francs ($17 billion) of its Additional Tier 1 (AT1) debt will be written down to zero. That puts holders of the AT1 bonds lower in priority than even investors who hold an equity stake in Credit Suisse and can expect to get 0.76 Swiss francs per share. The shock realisation reverberated through Asian markets on Monday as traders hurried to reprice bank debt, and pushed bank stocks down. Asian AT1 bonds were down 4-5 points, while European ones were down 10 points, he said. But you did enter this thing believing that you'd be senior to the equity holders, that's the thing that people are worried about."

☆ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he's a 'little bit scared' of A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman, co-founder and chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc., speaks during TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a recent interview with ABC News that he's a "little bit scared" of artificial intelligence technology and how it could affect the workforce, elections and the spread of disinformation. "I think people really have fun with [ChatGPT]," Altman said in the interview. But his excitement over the transformative potential of AI technology, which Altman said will eventually reflect "the collective power, and creativity, and will of humanity," was balanced by his concerns about "authoritarian regimes" developing competing AI technology. Years before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said whoever becomes the leader in AI technology "will be the ruler of the world."

SINGAPORE—The failure of Silicon Valley Bank reverberated through startups and venture-capital firms from China to Singapore and India during a roller coaster few days that shook confidence in Asia over reliance on U.S. tech financing. After frantic efforts trying to secure their money, some startup executives said the incident served as a warning despite U.S. authorities stepping in Sunday to shore up the bank’s customers.

March 12 (Reuters) - A Canadian banking regulator on Sunday said it was taking temporary control of Silicon Valley Bank's (SIVB.O) unit in the country, as the fallout from the collapsed U.S. startup-focused lender reverberated around the world. "By taking temporary control of the Canadian branch of Silicon Valley Bank, we are acting to protect the rights and interests of the branch's creditors," Peter Routledge, the superintendent of financial institutions, said in a statement. OFSI said the U.S.-headquartered bank has operated in Canada since 2019 as a foreign bank branch based in Toronto. Its business in Canada is primarily lending to corporate clients, and the branch does not hold any commercial or individual deposits in Canada. The Canadian unit had C$435 million ($315.33 million) in secured loans at the end of last year, more than double the amount at the end of 2021, according to regulatory filings.

[1/2] SVB (Silicon Valley Bank) logo is seen through broken glass in this illustration taken March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationMarch 10 (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. banks extended recent losses on Friday, with regional banks the hardest hit, as the failure of SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O) reverberated across the financial industry. A California banking regulator on Friday closed SVB, putting the tech-heavy lender into receivership in the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. While SVB's stock was halted on Friday, shares of other mid-sized U.S. banks added to recent, heavy losses. The S&P 500 regional banks index (.SPLRCBNKS) dropped 6%, bringing its loss this week to 20%, its worst week since 2009.

☆ Russia was cut off by Viagra's manufacturer, leaving the Kremlin scrambling to commission generic erection pills
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia has been cut off by the pharmaceutical company that produces Viagra, according to the Washington Post. On Wednesday, Russia also announced that 36 companies were raring to produce a domestic alternative. Viatris initially stopped clinical trials in Russia after the Kremlin launched an invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, the Post reported. Throughout the year, Viatris suffered financial losses in Russia due to supply chain issues but continued to supply pills to pre-existing patients. According to the Post, Ukraine adopted a law in May 2022 which banned the sale and distribution of medication from companies that maintained ties with Russia.

☆ More than 3,000 dead as two massive earthquakes rock Turkey and Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Aina J. Khan | Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Just hours later, a 7.5-magnitude quake hit the same area, raising the specter of a new humanitarian crisis in a region devastated by years of conflict. A massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey on Monday , killing more than 3,000 people in the country and neighboring Syria with scores more trapped in the rubble as another huge temblor hit the region. People search for survivors under the rubble following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey February 6, 2023. The quake hit an area of Syria's northwest that is divided between government-held territory and the country's last remaining rebel-controlled enclave. Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes; 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

☆ January's U.S. jobs reports was stunningly good
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Yeo Boon Ping | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. An unemployment rate of 3.4% — the lowest in more than 50 years. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has indicated he's focusing on the labor market, which he described in his Wednesday post-meeting news conference as "out of balance." Investors betting on a rate pause or pivot might be forced by the Fed to find a new equilibrium too. Subscribe here to get this report sent directly to your inbox each morning before markets open.

☆ Ketamine is being sold as a depression wonder drug. For some, it's making everything worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

The infusions at the ketamine clinic in his West Texas hometown were a Christmas gift from his grandmother. About five years ago, more and more of my friends started using ketamine recreationally. IV ketamine treatment centers charging $400 to $2,000 an infusion popped up all over the country. "Ketamine used as directed in an appropriate clinical setting very rarely leads to any dependence," Mindbloom says on its website. Like Nadia, most of the people I interviewed said when they started using ketamine, they didn't think it was possible to become dependent on it.

☆ Coinbase faces a hit to profits after FTX's implosion, S&P says as it downgrades the crypto exchange again
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Coinbase's credit rating just got cut again as its profits face a further hit in the wake of FTX's implosion. S&P Global Ratings lowered the company's long-term credit ratings deeper into junk territory by one notch to "BB-." The ratings agency cited a slump in trading volumes and rising regulatory risks as key factors in its downgrade. "We believe FTX's bankruptcy in November has severely hit the crypto industry's perceived credibility, causing a lack of retail engagement," S&P said in a release. FTX's crash last November reverberated through crypto markets, pulling a growing list of crypto firms down with it, including BlockFi and Genesis.

☆ Southwest's cancelation nightmare sends ripples across travel industry with rental car shortages, inflated flight prices, and ongoing delays
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Southwest canceled thousands more flights on Wednesday amid an ongoing wave of travel chaos. The airline's struggles have started spilling over into the travel industry as a whole. Stranded passengers are facing rental car shortages and ongoing delays. "The first thing JetBlue tells me is to cancel my travel," Rivera said. The JetBlue representative told her that displaced Southwest passengers have been snatching up available tickets, inadvertently displacing JetBlue passengers who need to rebook after their own delays or cancellations.

Ben McMillan, chief investment officer at IDX Digital Assets, said the rising popularity of blockchain-based tools including decentralized exchanges and decentralized finance had also been an important development this year. "We could see bigger allocations to digital assets once risk appetite resumes in 2023." Bitcoin and other tokens took a hammering, slumping by over half in just 49 days from the end of May. On a single day in June, bitcoin fell over 15%, its worst day since March 2020 when COVID chaos roiled financial markets. Bitcoin fell by a quarter in less than four days as Bankman-Fried scrambled for funds to bail his exchange out.

☆ Crypto exchange Bitvavo says it aims to recoup 280 million euros from DCG
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Dutch cryptocurrency exchange Bitvavo said on Saturday it is trying to recover 280 million euros ($296.30 million) from U.S.-based Digital Currency Group (DCG) and its subsidiaries. FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11, leaving an estimated 1 million customers and other investors facing total losses in the billions of dollars. The collapse reverberated across the crypto world and sent bitcoin and other digital assets plummeting. A public relations agent for DCG on Saturday said the accounts in question were held at Genesis, not DCG itself. "We are in discussions with multiple entities of the group and given the mingling within the group we hold DCG responsible for the outstanding amount," a Bitvavo spokesperson said.

See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage refinance rates todayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage calculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's interest rates will affect your monthly payments. 30-year fixed mortgage ratesThe current average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.31%, according to Freddie Mac. 15-year fixed mortgage ratesThe average 15-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.54%, a decrease from the prior week, according to Freddie Mac data. Mortgage rates have increased dramatically so far in 2022, but there are signs that they may finally have peaked.

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