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☆ Warren Buffett speaks out against creating family wealth dynasties, gives away another $1.1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-25 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Buffett believes family wealth dynasties could have negative consequences such as eroding personal growth and complicating relationships. "I've never wished to create a dynasty or pursue any plan that extended beyond the children," Buffett wrote in a lengthy letter Monday. He has appointed three trustees of his charitable trust to potentially succeed his children in disbursing his wealth. They are also somewhat younger than my children," Buffett wrote. He said he's built strong trust in his children's managerial ability and philanthropic ambition through years of observation.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Buffett, I've, Susie, Howie, Peter, disburse, he's Organizations: Oracle, BNSF Railway Locations: Berkshire Hathaway, Berkshire, Omaha , Nebraska, Omaha, Buffett's Berkshire

☆ Your questions about Trump 2.0, answered
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-22 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | Leinz Vales | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —When we asked CNN readers for their questions about the incoming Trump 2.0 administration, we got a lot of nervous and scared feedback. Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump walk to Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 4, 2021. This is her response:Trump has promised to protect Social Security and not raise the retirement age or make other cuts. For more, read Luhby’s story on how a second Trump term could affect Social Security benefits. For his second term, Trump has promised to find military officials more loyal to him and that he’ll fight an “enemy from within” of political opponents.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, I’m, …, Catherine Shoichet, Shoichet, Trump, ”, Lisa Graybill, Tom Homan, He’s, Kelli Stump, she’s, “, Ashley, Joe Biden, Eric Gay, Stephen Miller, Trump’s, Alan, Jim Sciutto, Roman Plipey, Afghanistan –, Vladimir, Putin, Marco, Rubio, Mike, Waltz –, Tulsi, Gabbard, Will, Greg, ” Trump, Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Joshua Roberts, hasn’t, Tami Luhby, James, There’s, Portugal's, Armando Franca, Lawrence, Katie Lobosco, that’s, there’s, –, Biden’s, Will Trump, Biden, Emily, … Gustavo, doesn’t Biden, Steve Here’s, Ella Nilsen, Jim Watson, it’s, Will Trump’s, Keith Trump’s, Nixon, Adam, ” Sen, Adam Schiff of, ” Schiff, Matt Gaetz Organizations: CNN, Trump, Security, National Immigration Law Center, American Immigration Lawyers, Ashley Presidents, US Customs, National Guard, US, Ukraine, Getty, NATO, White, Reuters, Social, Social Security, Bee, FBI, New Jersey Trump, Republicans, Congress, Pentagon, Trump White House, NPR Locations: Rio, Mexico, Eagle Pass , Texas, Ukraine, Powers, Russia, China, Europe, Kyiv, Roman, AFP, Afghanistan, Maine, Washington ,, Barbara, Louisiana, Italy, Lisbon, Illinois, New Jersey, Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Red Butte, Tusayan , Arizona, Adam Schiff of California

☆ The Biden administration is scrambling to send billions to chipmakers before Trump takes over
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementThe Biden administration is trying to finalize CHIPS Act agreements before Donald Trump takes office. Locking in agreements could make it more difficult for the Trump administration if it decides to change course. The Biden administration is running out of time to finalize agreements that would secure billions in funding for US chipmakers. The Biden administration is working to finalize agreements before president-elect Donald Trump — who has criticized the CHIPS Act — takes office in January. However, she did not answer questions about whether Trump's approach to CHIPS Act funding could differ from that of the Biden Administration.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, hasn't, Donald Trump —, Gina Raimondo, podcaster Joe Rogan, chipmakers, Mike Johnson, Karoline Leavitt, Vance, Jeff Koch, SemiAnalysis, Koch, Pat Gelsinger Organizations: US, Bloomberg, Commerce Department, BI, CNBC, Reuters, Commerce, Biden, Intel, The New York Times Locations: Taiwan

☆ Booker Prize 2024: Samantha Harvey’s space-station novel ‘Orbital’ wins annual literature award
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London AP —British writer Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday with “Orbital,” a short, wonder-filled novel set aboard the International Space Station that ponders the beauty and fragility of Earth. The prize is open to English-language writers of any nationality and has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers. De Waal praised the “crystalline” writing and “capaciousness” of Harvey’s succinct novel — at 136 pages in its UK paperback edition, one of the shortest-ever Booker winners. Harvey is the first female Booker winner since 2019, though one of five women on this year’s shortlist, the largest number in the prize’s 55-year history. Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize is open to novels originally written in English published in the UK or Ireland.

Persons: Samantha Harvey, Booker, Harvey, ”, Edmund de Waal, ” Gaby Wood, ” Harvey, Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Hilary, Waal, Percival Everett, “ James, Twain’s, Huckleberry Finn ”, Jim, Rachel Kushner’s, Canadian Anne Michaels, Charlotte Wood’s, Yael van der, De Waal, Paul Lynch, ” Lynch Organizations: London AP, Space, Prize Foundation, Ireland Locations: British, Canada, United States, Australia, Netherlands, Canadian, London, Japan

☆ A payments startup hoping to take on Stripe and Square just raised $75 million with this pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Finix is a startup that works with merchants so they can accept and manage payments. On Thursday, it raised a $75 million Series C that included Lightspeed Ventures and Acrew Capital. AdvertisementSome of the industry's biggest fintech investors just backed an up-and-coming payments startup challenging Stripe and Square. The San Francisco-based startup raised $75 million in a Series C funding round, the company announced Thursday. AdvertisementFinix processes billions of dollars every month for tens of thousands of merchants, Serna said.

Persons: —, Richie Serna, Finix, Serna, " Serna Organizations: Lightspeed Ventures, Acrew, Service, Acrew Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners Locations: San Francisco, Finix's, Serna

Ashley Aldous Pangborn, 35, said she was glad friends persuaded her to set up a GoFundMe campaign after Helene filled her family’s Homosassa, Florida, home with 28 inches of water. Ashley Aldous Pangborn and her family have been living in short-term rentals for the last few weeks. Ashley Aldous Pangborn, Homosassa, Fla. GoFundMe’s Hurricane Helene Relief Hub features thousands of fundraisers that it says it has determined are authentic. Ashley Aldous PangbornPangborn said she received the initial $750 relief payment FEMA provides to disaster survivors.

Persons: Helene, Milton, Biden, Donald Trump, crowdfunding, Ashley Aldous Pangborn, Idalia, ” Pangborn, Hurricane Helene, Ashley Aldous Pangborn Pangborn, Pangborn, she’s, “, ”, GoFundMe, who’ve Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Hurricane Locations: Asheville, North Carolina, Florida, Homosassa, Fla, Milton, North Carolina’s, Smoky

☆ AI helped Uncle Sam catch $1 billion of fraud in one year. And it’s just getting started
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The federal government’s bet on using artificial intelligence to fight financial crime appears to be paying off. The Treasury Department credited AI with helping officials prevent and recover more than $4 billion worth of fraud overall in fiscal 2024, a six-fold spike from the year before. US officials quietly started using AI to detect financial crime in late 2022, taking a page out of what many banks and credit card companies already do to stop bad guys. The Treasury’s use of AI to fight financial crime is just getting started. Officials are testing new data sources to better spot fraud and shady payments, and they are teaming up with state agencies to fight unemployment insurance fraud.

Persons: That’s, “ It’s, Renata Miskell, ” Miskell, it’s, It’s, Janet Yellen, Yellen, Miskell, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, US Treasury Department, CNN, Treasury, Treasury Department, Social Security, Internal Revenue Service, Juniper Research Locations: New York, Hong Kong

☆ Ukraine’s energy supply faces ‘sternest test yet’ as war grinds toward third winter
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Ukraine’s electricity supply risks “severe disruptions” this winter, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned, urging Kyiv’s allies to help address the country’s energy security. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles and drones since its full-scale invasion in February 2022, but its bombardments have intensified recently, leaving the country in a precarious position as colder weather approaches. Ukraine has also attacked Russia’s energy infrastructure. In its report, the agency outlines 10 measures that Ukraine and its allies should implement to tackle risks to the country’s energy supply. She also noted that the EU had contributed at least €2 billion ($2.2 billion) toward Ukraine’s energy system since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.

Persons: Kyiv’s, Fatih Birol, Ukraine’s, Ursula von der Leyen Organizations: CNN, International Energy Agency, European Union, Work, EU Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Denmark, Europe, Lithuania

☆ With ‘Cancer Moonshot’ announcement, Biden turns to causes most important to him in final months in office
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On Tuesday, Biden highlighted $150 million in new research awards to eight organizations, including $23 million to Tulane University, the backdrop for the announcement. I know we can, but it’s not just personal — it’s about what’s possible,” Biden said Tuesday. And the White House will also look to ramp up its diplomatic engagement with India, an ally that has become a critical partner to the US in countering China’s aggression in the region. “We want to create a more prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and the world,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Implementation awaitsDomestically, the White House remains focused, first and foremost, on getting money out the door and shovels in the ground on Biden’s signature legislative measures.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Beau Biden’s, Biden, “, it’s, ” Biden, Kamala Harris –, Harris, Moonshot, Beau Biden he’d, ’, you’ll, ”, –, Jeff Zients, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Xi, Karine Jean, Pierre said, Zients, Natalie Quillian, Tom Vilsack, ” Vilsack, CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg Organizations: CNN, Tulane University, Biden, CBS News, White, US, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, The Commerce Department, Treasury Department, Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Locations: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, United States, Brazil, India

☆ G7 leaders agree to loan Ukraine money backed by profits from frozen Russian investments
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Betsy Klein | Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Group of Seven leaders have reached an agreement to loan money to Ukraine backed by the profits from frozen Russian investments, a senior administration official confirmed Thursday. While Ukraine is not a G7 member, its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, attended the summit and participated in a Thursday evening joint news conference with Biden. “Would we stand with Ukraine?” Biden said at the news conference. The United States, the G7 and countries around the world have consistently answered that question by saying yes we will. The loan will be drawn from funds frozen by Western leaders in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, “, ” Biden, … we’re, ”, Jake Sullivan, Donald Trump, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Zelensky, ” Zelensky, … Organizations: CNN — Group, Seven, Ukraine, House, Republican Locations: Ukraine, United States, Italy, Puglia, Russia, Ukrainian, Europe, November’s, Israel, Taiwan

☆ MacKenzie Scott upended philanthropy as we know it. Melinda French Gates is catching on
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And it’s a style that Melinda French Gates appears to be emulating, at least partly, in her newly solo philanthropic venture. Now independent of that organization, French Gates is free to take bets on organizations and communities regardless of their size or ability to demonstrate their impact. Scott and French Gates’ ex husbands, meanwhile, aren’t getting as many kudos for their charitable work as they might like. Gates, with a net worth of $154 billion, has also faced criticism for the Gates Foundation’s methods. “That can’t happen through the Gates Foundation’s father-knows-best, look-at-me brand of bureaucratic philanthropy.”

Persons: CNN Business ’, New York CNN —, Ivana Trump, Don’t, MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos, Melinda French Gates, Gates, Bill Gates, “ I’m, Scott, it’s, ” Amir Pasic, Indiana University Lilly, ” That’s, ” Pasic, —, Gates ’, aren’t, Bezos, hadn’t, Tim Schwab, ” Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Club, New York Times, Indiana University, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Women’s, Gates, CNN, Bloomberg Locations: New York, Maui, Bezos, Gates, Nation

☆ Opinion: Rewatching ‘Notting Hill,’ the truly unbelievable part is Hugh Grant’s house
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Opinion Laura Beers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Notting Hill of the 1990s was still socially heterodox and shabby chic, a neighborhood where a group of 30-something professionals could plausibly have ended up. Even in the late 1990s, such access to disposable income marked the characters in “Notting Hill” out as privileged. Yet, in the 1990s, Notting Hill, long a center of Caribbean immigrant culture and the site of the annual Notting Hill Carnival, underwent a rapid process of gentrification. Between 1995 and 1999, Notting Hill house prices rose by 75%. The colorful terraced houses of Notting Hill, which these days sell for millions of pounds.

Persons: Laura Beers, ”, George Orwell’s, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Anna Scott, Hugh Grant, William Thacker, Roberts, Laura Beers Laura Beers, it’s, —, Curtis, Hill’s, Hugh Grant's, Winston, George Orwell, Orwell, Tony Blair’s Britain, Bill Clinton’s America, Grant’s, Tony Blair, Steve Eason, Notting, Spike, Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill, Mike Kemp, San, Spencer Platt, Rishi Sunak’s government’s, Bill, Rewatching Organizations: American University, CNN, MCA, Everett, Notting, Labour, Hulton, Getty, Movement, Housing, Federal Reserve, New York State, Hill ” Locations: American, London, West London, Notting, West, Britain, United States, Young, Notting Hill, Central London, San Francisco, Manhattan, San Matteo, Redwood City, York

☆ Schools are bracing for widespread teacher layoffs. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Katie Lobosco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The funds must be used by the end of September, creating a sharp funding cliff as schools also struggle with widespread enrollment declines and inflation. Many districts have warned of layoffs as the current school year comes to a close and next year’s budgets are planned. Not only is the federal funding ending, but enrollment at the district’s schools has fallen by nearly 500 students – or roughly 5% – since 2019. Pandemic aid comes to an endAfter the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Congress authorized three rounds of federal funding to help K-12 schools respond. But that’s partly because some districts, flush with pandemic funding, have been adding positions while enrollment in public schools has been declining nationally.

Persons: Joe Biden, Micah Hill, Hill, Leslie Torres, Rodriguez, ”, Dan Goldhaber, –, Chad Aldeman, Heather Peske, Peske, it’s, ” Peske Organizations: Washington CNN — Schools, Public Schools, CNN, Hartford Public Schools, Secondary School Emergency, “, National Council Locations: Missoula , Montana, Missoula, Arlington , Texas, Hartford , Connecticut, Hartford, –, CALDER, Washington

☆ FTX customers are getting a rare good deal. Here’s why some are still angry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And yet, for FTX customers, there’s an unavoidable twinge of resentment over what could have been. See here: If you had one bitcoin in an FTX account in mid-November of 2022, it was worth about $17,500. The bankruptcy managers tracked down all of FTX’s crypto and other holdings and hired an investment manager to sell them. The bull run inflated the value of FTX’s significant crypto holdings, leaving the estate with more than enough to pay back customers. Although FTX said it would have as much as $16 billion to disburse, customers and Uncle Sam get paid out first.

Persons: CNN Business ’, bitcoin, it’d, you’d, Tom Brady, John Ray III, Ray, they’ll, FTX, Uncle Sam, Sam Bankman, SBF, he’d, SBF’s, who’s, Fried Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN —, Sequoia, Prosecutors Locations: New York, FTX, bitcoin, Bankman

To submit a life insurance claim, however, you'll need to know which life insurance company holds the person's policy. NAIC's Life Insurance Policy Locator ServiceIf you don't know the insurance company your deceased loved one has a policy with, the NAIC's Life Insurance Policy Locator Service can help with your search. What to do once you find a life insurance policyFiling a claimOnce you've identified the insurance company and retrieved the deceased's policy information, follow these steps to claim a found life insurance policy:Contact the insurance company: The insurer will provide the claims form and instructions. The closest living relative (e.g., spouse or child)The policy's beneficiaryEstate executors and TrusteesFinding life insurance policy frequently asked questionsHow can I determine what type of life insurance policy I need? Only the beneficiaries named in the policy or their legal representatives have the right to file a claim on a life insurance policy.

Persons: you've, Policygenius Organizations: National Association of Insurance, Social, National Association, Insurance, Financial

☆ Baltimore officials accused the ship that crashed into the Key Bridge of being 'unseaworthy' and leaving port even though its alarms had already gone off
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewCity of Baltimore officials on Monday accused the owner and manager of the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge of allowing the vessel to set sail despite it being "clearly unseaworthy." "Reporting has indicated that, even before leaving port, alarms showing an inconsistent power supply on the Dali had sounded," the court petition reads. Authorities found that the 984-foot ship lost power as it navigated toward the bridge, causing it to lose propulsion. The crew on board broadcast a mayday call just before impact, allowing traffic police to seal access to the bridge. AdvertisementMeanwhile, President Joe Biden has said that the federal government will fund the reconstruction of the Key Bridge, and has agreed to disburse some $60 million in aid to the region.

Persons: —, Francis Scott Key, Dali, Grace Ocean, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Synergy Marine, Business, Baltimore Mayor, Grace, Synergy, Port, Authorities, National Transportation Safety Board, FBI, Washington Post Locations: Baltimore, Maryland, Singapore, Port of Baltimore, Sri Lanka, Patapsco

☆ Plan to Deliver Aid by Sea Faces Big Hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

“It constitutes tacit consent and encouragement on the part of the governments of Canada and Sweden to continue to ignore the involvement of UNRWA employees in terrorist activity,” the statement said. In a government statement on Saturday, Sweden said that it would disburse a conditional first payment of some $20 million. The United Nations has also commissioned an external review. The United States and other countries announced plans this week to try to get aid into northern Gaza by sea through the Mediterranean coast. In recent weeks, nations have been sending in aid via airdrops attached to parachutes.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ” Philippe Lazzarini, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: United Nations, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNRWA, Nations, European Union, United, Palestinian Locations: Canada, Sweden, Gaza, Israel, United States, Jerusalem

☆ South Korean companies are offering workers $75,000 to have babies amid the country's desperate bid for more children
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Some South Korean companies are giving out $75,000 bonuses to employees who have kids. The fertility rate in South Korea was 0.78 in 2022, far lower than the 2.1 it needs to maintain its population. AdvertisementA South Korean firm is offering employees up to $75,000 to have children and help lift the country's ailing birth rate. The company will take responsibility and put all-out efforts to help the country increase the fertility rate," a company spokesperson, per the outlet. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on February 13 ordered his administration to develop tax incentives and subsidies for companies that encourage their employees to have children.

Persons: —, dwindles, Yoon Suk Organizations: Booyoung, Ssangbangwool, Service, Korea Herald, Booyoung Group, CNN Locations: South Korea, Seoul, China, Japan, South

☆ Some student-loan borrowers have just 2 months left to benefit from temporary debt relief. Here's what they need to do.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Time is running out for some student-loan borrowers to benefit from a limited-time debt cancellation reform. AdvertisementBorrowers who will receive the account adjustment automatically must be in the federal direct loan program or the Federal Family Education Loan program with loans held by the Education Department. Other borrowers who have loans in the FFEL program that are commercially held would need to consolidate into the direct loan program to receive relief. AdvertisementAt the same time, the Education Department is in the process of crafting its second attempt at more expansive relief for borrowers. On February 22 and 23, it will meet with stakeholders for the fourth time to negotiate the text of debt relief under the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Biden's Organizations: Service, Joe Biden's Education Department, Public, Business, Aid, Family Education, Education Department, Higher

☆ Bipartisan infrastructure law: 5 projects that got money
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Katie Lobosco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —More than 40,000 projects have received federal funding from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden two yeas ago. Replacing an aging bridge over the Wisconsin RiverThe I-39/90/94 bridge, which crosses the Wisconsin River, is set to be replaced. Earlier this year, the project received $25 million from the infrastructure law. The Susquehanna River Bridge in Maryland and the Connecticut River Bridge – both of which are more than 100 years old – will also be replaced. The infrastructure law allocated $22 billion to Amtrak directly, some of which is being used to replace its fleet of more than 1,000 railcars and locomotives.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Joe Biden, hasn’t, Biden, –, Bauer, Griffin, Michael M, Sandy, Washington’s Howard, Hanson, Howard, Dean Rutz, it’s, Alexander L, Bullock Organizations: Washington CNN, Boston Logan International, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin DOT, Park City , Utah Park City, Historic District, AaronP, Getty, Amtrak, Maryland Area, Seattle Times, US Army Corps of Engineers, Tacoma, Puget Sound Locations: Ohio, Wisconsin, Columbia County, Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison, Park City , Utah, Park City, Utah, Kimball, Hudson, New York City, Boston, Washington, New Jersey, Manhattan, Maryland, Baltimore, Potomac, Susquehanna, Connecticut, Hanson, East King County , Washington, Columbia, Washington and Oregon, Howard, Seattle

Germany and Austria earlier on Monday said they were suspending bilateral development aid to Palestinians, while others such as Italy had said suspending aid was not up for discussion. It is unclear whether the suspensions in development aid will also apply to such assistance. Varhelyi said all new budget proposals for Palestinian aid were also postponed until further notice. The Israeli flag has been hoisted above the chancellor's office and the Foreign Ministry after the shock Hamas assault. Asked if Italy would follow Germany and Austria in suspending development aid, the foreign ministry spokesperson said this was not under discussion.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Oliver Varhelyi, Varhelyi, Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Alexander Schallenberg, Svenja Schulze, Rishi Sunak, Andrew Gray, Francois Murphy, Sarah Marsh, Markus Wacket, Angela Amante, Kate Holton, Mark Heinrich, Alison Williams, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, BRUSSELS, European, United Nations, Union, EU, EU Commission, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Austrian, European Union, Foreign Ministry, Social Democrats, Greens, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Ashkelon, Israel, Germany, Austria, Italy, BERLIN, Europe, West, Berlin, Palestinian, Berlin's, Brandenburg, United Nations, Britain, Brussels, Vienna, Rome, London

☆ Tunisia Rejects EU Financial Aid, Casting Doubt on an Immigration Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tarek AmaraTUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday rejected financial support announced by the European Union in September, saying the amount is small and goes against a deal signed three months ago. The European Commission last month said it would disburse 127 million euros ($133 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of the deal to fight illegal immigration from Africa to Europe. “Tunisia rejects what the EU announced, not because of the small amount ... but because the proposal conflicts with the memorandum of understanding signed in July," Saied said. The July deal included a pledge of 1 billion euros in aid to Tunisia to help its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with the migration crisis. Tunisia last week postponed a visit by a delegation from the European Commission to discuss the details of the migration agreement.

Persons: Tarek Amara TUNIS, Kais Saied, Saied, Tarek Amara Organizations: European Union, European Commission, “, EU Locations: Europe, Tunisia, Africa, “ Tunisia, North Africa, Lampedusa, Germany

☆ U.S. Finalizes Rules to Keep Chip Funds Out of China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Ana Swanson | More About Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration on Friday issued final rules that would prohibit chip companies vying for a new infusion of federal cash from carrying out certain business expansions, partnerships and research in China, in what it described as an effort to protect United States national security. The new rules aim to prevent chip makers who benefit from U.S. grants from passing technology, business know-how or other benefits to China. The final restrictions will prohibit firms that receive federal money from using it to construct chip factories outside of the United States. They also restrict companies from significantly expanding semiconductor manufacturing in “foreign countries of concern” — defined as China, Iran, Russia and North Korea — for 10 years after receiving an award, it said. The rules also prevent companies that receive funding from carrying out certain joint research projects in those countries, or licensing technology that would raise national security concerns to those countries.

Persons: Biden Organizations: United, North Korea — Locations: China, United States, U.S, Iran, Russia, North Korea

☆ EU to Disburse $135 Million to Tunisia as Part of Migration Pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday said it would disburse 127 million euros ($135 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of its deal with the country aimed at fighting illegal immigration from Africa to Europe. The commission said 60 million euros would be made available in budget support to Tunisia, while a package worth around 67 million euros aimed at strengthening Tunisia's capacities to combat human traffickers and tighten border controls would be disbursed in the coming days. Tunisia and the EU in July signed a "strategic partnership" deal to fight illegal migration in return for financial support during a sharp increase in boats leaving the North African nation for Europe. ($1 = 0.9401 euros)(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Persons: Bart Meijer, Alex Richardson Organizations: European, EU Locations: BRUSSELS, Tunisia, Africa, Europe

☆ Biden's asking Congress for a budget Band-Aid. It'll make student loan repayment easier, secure Social Security and food benefits — and avoid a government shutdown.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Without the cash infusion, the admin says, Social Security could get bogged down. Without that temporary budget fix, Social Security could get bogged down, low-income babies and seniors might not receive their benefits, and student loan repayment could get even thornier. The agency noted that the Education Department requires $2.3 billion to ensure it can effectively disburse student aid. It would also allocate $1.8 billion for student aid administration, which is $265 million below its current level. Are you worried about losing WIC or other food assistance, or struggling to repay student loans?

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Kevin McCarthy, Schumer Organizations: Biden, Social Security, Service, Security, Management, OMB, SNAP, Social Security Administration, Women, Federal Student Aid, Education Department, Federal, Aid, Labor, Republicans, MSNBC, Republican, jkaplan Locations: Wall, Silicon, Washington

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