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Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:Aug. 31The Washington Post on sexism in the U.S. militaryNearly eight years ago, the United States opened up all military combat roles to women, clearing a pathway for female service members to join the most elite military forces. Women at multiple military bases reported that other soldiers would bang on their doors in the middle of the night. Even a program that once represented the highest ideals of the United States — its compassion, its expertise and its resources — is becoming a casualty of the country’s most destructive and divisive forces. Lack of adequate cooling during hot summers has plagued Southern states for decades, but climate change has now made it a problem in Northern states as well — Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Indiana. Ukraine received the first batch of uranium munitions from the United Kingdom in March to use in its UK-made Challenger 2 tanks.

Persons: Soldiers, “, ”, George W, Bush, Anthony Fauci, Mark Dybul, PEPFAR, Henry Hyde, Dave Weldon, H.I.V, Hyde, Weldon, Biden, MAGA, Biden’s, Mr, Chris Smith of, Smith, Roe, Wade, Tommy Tuberville, Susan B, Anthony Pro, ” Nyserda, Don’t, Louisianans, it’s, commissaries, Joe Arpaio, let’s, perceptibly Organizations: Washington, Green, Ranger Regiment, Green Berets, Army Rangers, Special Operations, Army Special Operations Command, Special Forces, Army, Command, New York Times, Democrats, Republicans, Catholic Church, Republican Party, AIDS Relief, Republican, Heritage Foundation, Biden, Mr, PEPFAR, America, Family Research, United, New York State Energy Research, Development Authority, Alliance, Clean Energy, Alliance for Clean Energy, Developers, Micron Technology, Los Angeles Times, Staff, Prisons, US State Department, US Locations: United States, U.S, Afghanistan, Africa, Illinois, Florida, Chris Smith of New Jersey, Alabama, New York, Ukraine, California , Connecticut, Hawaii , Indiana , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts, Michigan , New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Louisiana, Angola, Texas, Southern, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota , Indiana, Maricopa County, Ariz, Los Angeles, California, Corcoran, Tulare Lake, China, Russia, United Kingdom, Moscow, Belarus, Washington, Europe, Asia, Brazil, Indonesia

☆ Oil giant led by COP28 boss to spend an ‘eyewatering’ $1 billion a month on fossil fuels this decade, Global Witness says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

UAE oil giant ADNOC — run by the president of the COP28 climate conference — is expected to spend more than $1 billion every month this decade on fossil fuels, according to new analysis by international NGO Global Witness. It comes ahead of the COP28 climate summit, with Dubai set to host the U.N.'s annual conference from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 12. The person overseeing the talks, Sultan al-Jaber, is chief executive of ADNOC (the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) — one of the world's largest oil and gas firms. His position as both COP28 president and ADNOC CEO caused dismay among civil society groups and U.S. and EU lawmakers, although several government ministers have since defended his appointment. It means that ADNOC is forecast to spend nearly seven times more on fossil fuels through to 2030 than it does on "low-carbon solution" projects.

Persons: Sultan Al Jaber, Sultan al, Jaber Organizations: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, UAE, Global, ADNOC, CNBC Locations: Abu Dhabi, Brussels, Dubai, Paris

☆ A couple in the UK quit their 9-to-5 jobs to move to the Philippines. Now, they have no debt and their monthly utility bills rarely exceed $55 — see how they did it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Adam and Jane Vizor moved to the Philippines with their daughter to lead a slower-paced, debt-free life. Now, the couple has no debt, and their monthly utility bills rarely exceed $55. "After we came to see the land, we worked with an architect to create a floor plan to maximize the layout of our house," Adam said. Adam and Jane Vizor"An equivalent house in the UK, I would say, probably easily costs a million pounds," Adam added. Adam and Jane VizorUnlike the UK, they have no heating costs, since the Philippines is a tropical country.

Persons: Adam, Jane Vizor, Isabella, Jane, She'd, I'd, Jane's, —, we've, It's, it's, everyone's, Jane Vizor It's, Jane said Organizations: Service, YouTube Locations: Philippines, Wall, Silicon, Bristol, Ormoc, Leyte, Manila, —, England

☆ India's twin growth engines face turbulent weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Sept 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - India’s gross domestic product grew 7.8% in the April to June quarter, its fastest pace in a year. The print preserves the South Asian nation’s title for the fastest-growing major economy, yet the eye-popping level may not sustain. A patchy monsoon and high food costs threaten the twin engines behind the latest headline figure. Meanwhile, El Nino weather conditions mean the winter agriculture crop could be as weak as the summer yield, keeping prices high for longer. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Narendra Modi’s, Modi, Shritama Bose, Pernod Ricard, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Tata Consultancy Services, Reserve Bank, India’s, X, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, El Nino

☆ Amazon shareholder sues board, Bezos over Blue Origin launch contracts
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 31 (Reuters) - An Amazon (AMZN.O) shareholder has filed a lawsuit against founder Jeff Bezos and the Amazon board alleging directors failed to fully vet a decision to award launch contracts for the company's Project Kuiper satellite project to Blue Origin, Bezos's space company. Amazon's Project Kuiper is a planned network of over 3,000 satellites designed to beam broadband internet to remote regions. Cleveland Bakers and Teamsters Pension Fund, a multi-employer fund, said in its filing that the launch contracts were the second-largest capital expenditure in Amazon's history at the time. Project Kuiper will begin mass-producing the satellites later this year and beta testing with commercial customers in 2024, Amazon said earlier this year. The pension fund seeks unspecified damages and legal fees, according to a lawsuit filed on August 28 in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

Persons: Pascal, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Musk's Starlink, Amazon, Chandni Shah, Abinaya, Lavanya, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: REUTERS, Amazon, Cleveland Bakers, Teamsters, Fund, Origin, SpaceX, Reuters, Teamsters Pension Fund, FCC, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Delaware, Bengaluru

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 29, 2023. Shares of Salesforce (CRM.N), which also forecast upbeat quarterly sales, rose 5.6% before the bell as the cloud-based software provider benefits from price hikes and a resilient demand. Investors now await the price consumption expenditure (PCE) index for July, the Fed's preferred inflation measure, due at 8:30 a.m. The core PCE price index is expected to have climbed 4.2% in the 12 months through July, according to economists polled by Reuters. Among other stocks, Dollar General (DG.N) slumped 14.2% after the discount retailer cut its annual same-store sales forecast.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Dow Jones, Salesforce, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Raphael Bostic's, Alibaba, Shristi Achar, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Dow, Nasdaq, Investors, Reuters, Graphics Traders, Atlanta Fed, PDD Holdings, Baidu, Dow e, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ India’s economy grows at fastest pace in a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

India’s economy grew at its quickest pace in a year in the April-June quarter, buoyed by strong services activity and robust demand, but a drier than normal monsoon season could restrain future growth. India’s Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran maintained his 6.5% growth forecast for the full year. Thamashi De Silva at Capital Economics said India’s GDP data was strong despite policy tightening by the Reserve Bank of India. Food prices climbIndia’s retail inflation in July rose to its highest in 15 months as vegetable and cereals prices skyrocketed. “High food inflation for a prolonged period could weigh on consumption growth,” said Rajani Sinha, Chief Economist, CareEdge Ratings.

Persons: Anantha Nageswaran, ” Nageswaran, Thamashi De Silva, ”, Madan Sabnavis, “, Suvodeep Rakshit, Nageswaran, Rajani Sinha Organizations: Gross, Capital Economics, Reserve Bank of India, Bank of Baroda Locations: India

☆ Look beyond the 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks, analyst says — and names 5 top picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

When it comes to picking stocks, Hannah Gooch-Peters of asset management firm Sanlam Investments UK avoids chasing trends. She said she believes investors need to look beyond the "Magnificent Seven," referring to Apple , Amazon , Alphabet , Meta , Microsoft , Nvidia and Tesla — tech stocks that have made massive gains this year. Sanlam's $5 billion-plus Global High Quality Fund invests in global stocks with a "high quality bias." The companies her firm picks have rather low capital expenditure as a percentage of their sales, she said. It also has a "mortgage-signing technology service which is "really, really exciting," she said.

Persons: Hannah Gooch, Peters, Gooch, We're, it's, you've, That's Organizations: Sanlam Investments, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, CNBC, Quality Fund, Peters . Services, Yum Brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Intuit, SAP, Intercontinental Exchange, Samsung Electronics

☆ A century before Silicon Valley billionaires pitched a brand new city in this California county, wealthy businessmen tried — and failed — to do the same thing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Silicon Valley investors are planning to build a city in Solano County. The project, Solano City, failed as money ran dry and investors couldn't attract enough buyers. "The Market is TWO HOURS AWAY," one advertisement read, pointing an arrow from San Francisco to Solano City. Solano Irrigated Farms was soon unable to keep up with bills, and "Solano City died almost overnight," according to the historical database. Remnants of Solano City in progress can be seen in the county, Paul said.

Persons: Flannery, Patrick Calhoun, John Calhoun, Bil Paul, Paul, Solano, They're Organizations: Service, Silicon, Sacramento —, Flannery Associates Locations: Silicon, Solano County, Solano City, Wall, Solano County —, San Francisco, Sacramento, Dixon, Washington, San Francisco Bay, California, Solano, Farms, City

According to the median forecast (INGDPQ=ECI) in a Reuters poll of economists, India's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 7.7% in the past quarter, up from 6.1% growth in the previous quarter and its fastest expansion since April-June 2022. Reuters GraphicsStrong growth in India's services sector, which makes up more than half of its economic output, has helped Asia's third-largest economy buck the global slowdown that has left many major economies, including China, stuttering. S&P Global India services Purchasing Managers' Index (INPMIS=ECI) has remained firmly above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction for nearly two years, the longest stretch since August 2011. To support growth, Indian government has been front-loading its annual spending on infrastructure. Additionally, slowing global growth and exports and a comparison with higher growth rates a year ago will also weigh on growth in quarters ahead.

Persons: Manoj Kumar, Suvodeep Rakshit, Kaushik Das, Rahul Bajoria, Aftab Ahmed, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, P Global, Deutsche Bank's, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Faridabad, New Delhi, India, China, P Global India

Passersby are reflected on an electric stock quotation board outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan April 18, 2023. "They almost certainly have to hike again this year because today's inflation data shows there's still more work to do." INFLATION WATCHGovernment bond yields in the euro zone rose broadly after inflation data suggested the ECB may still have to hike rates again. Germany's two-year bond yields rose 7 bps to 3.09% . Spanish inflation rose 2.6% in August, as economists polled by Reuters had expected.

Persons: Issei Kato, Patrick Armstrong, there's, SEB, Elisabet Kopelman, Jerome Powell's, Naomi Rovnick, Shashwat Chauhan, Mark Potter, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, ECB, Nasdaq, Wall, SEB Group, Fed, Reuters, Bank's, U.S, Treasury, Brent, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Spain, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany's, United States, Gulf, Mexico, Bengaluru

On Wednesday, European shares nudged higher (.STOXX), while a gauge of Asian shares gained 0.35% (.MIAPJ0000PUS) and Japan's blue-chip Nikkei touched its highest in over two weeks (.N225). Spanish inflation rose 2.6% in August, as economists polled by Reuters had expected. Economists polled by Reuters expect the headline euro zone inflation rate to have moderated to 5.1% in August from 5.3% in July, still far above the European Central Bank's (ECB) 2% goal. Euro zone inflation has exceeded the target level for two years. Germany's two-year yield rose 7 bps to 3.099% after regional Germany inflation data.

Persons: Issei Kato, SEB, Elisabet Kopelman, Jerome Powell's, Europe's, Sylvia Ardagna, Ardagna, Germany's, Brent, Ankur Banerjee, Naomi Rovnick, Dhara Ranasinghe, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Nikkei, SEB Group, Fed, Reuters, Bank's, Barclays, ECB, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, SINGAPORE, Asia, Spain, Germany, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany's

☆ Asian shares hit two-week high on prospects for Fed pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The index though is down about 6% so far in August and set for its worst monthly performance since February. The Eurostoxx 50 futures rose 0.39%, German DAX futures were up 0.29% and FTSE futures were up 0.31%. Overnight, Wall Street ended sharply higher, while Treasury yields slid to three-week lows after data showed U.S. job openings dropped to the lowest in nearly 2-1/2 years in July, signalling easing labour market pressures. With the Fed highlighting that the interest rate path will be heavily dependent on data, traders are tweaking their bets based on the latest indicators. Traders will be closely watching cocoa prices on Wednesday after the London cocoa futures on ICE rose to a 46-year high on Tuesday, buoyed by tightening supplies.

Persons: Issei Kato, DAX, Powell, Tina Teng, Carlos Casanova, Gina Raimondo, Brent, bitcoin, Ankur Banerjee, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Federal Reserve, Futures, Treasury, CMC Markets, Investors, PMI, . Commerce, Aussie, Traders, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Germany, Spain, China, Wednesday's, UBP, U.S

REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsORLANDO, Florida, Aug 30 (Reuters) - To buy back, or not to buy back. The highest U.S. interest rates in over 20 years coupled with Wall Street's remarkable resilience has brought an old boardroom dilemma into sharp focus: are share buybacks worth it? Ditto Apple, Chevron, Alphabet and Wells Fargo, which this year have announced buybacks of $90 billion, $75 billion, $70 billion and $30 billion, respectively. Figures from Refinitiv show that S&P 500 companies spent more than $6 trillion on stock buybacks in the decade through 2022. Reuters Image Acquire Licensing Rights(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

Persons: Robert Galbraith, Joe Kleven, Ali Ragih, Nicholas Guest, Kothari, Parth Venkat, Jamie McGeever Organizations: Nvidia, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Chevron, Mega Tech, Marathon Petroleum, VerityData, Reuters, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Corporate, Cornell University, S.P, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Alabama, Thomson, & ' $ Locations: Santa Clara , California, Rights ORLANDO , Florida, Wells, YCharts, VerityData, U.S, underperformed

☆ South Korea focuses on fiscal discipline with smallest budget increase in two decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Jihoon Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A South Korea won note is seen in this illustration photo May 31, 2017. In its annual spending plan released on Tuesday, the finance ministry set total government expenditure for 2024 at 656.9 trillion won ($496.70 billion), up 2.8% from 2023. Big spending increases include social welfare, up by 7.5% to 242.9 trillion won, defence up 4.5% to 59.6 trillion won and corporate support by 4.9% to 27.3 trillion won. The government will issue 158.8 trillion won of treasury bonds in 2024, down from a total of 167.8 trillion won planned for this year. The net increase in treasury bonds is projected at 50.3 trillion won.

Persons: Thomas White, Yoon Suk, Choo Kyung, 1,322.5400, Jihoon Lee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: South, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Rights SEOUL

☆ Dollar soft as markets brace for data fest; yen under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar index , which measures U.S. currency against six key rivals, eased 0.077% at 103.85, after slipping 0.2% on Monday. The index is up 2% this month as resilient economic data bolstered expectations that interest rates may stay higher for longer. The yen inched up 0.12% to 146.36 per dollar in Asian hours but remained close 146.75, its lowest level since Nov.9. Japan intervened in currency markets last September when the dollar rose past 145 yen, prompting the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to buy the yen and push the pair back to around 140 yen. The Australian dollar added 0.03% to $0.643, while the New Zealand dollar eased 0.02% to $0.591.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jerome Powell, Carol Kong, CBA's Kong, Jackson, Chanana, Ueda, Sterling, Ankur Banerjee, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Ministry of Finance, United, Saxo, Jackson, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Japan, United States, Tokyo, Singapore

☆ Dollar soft as markets brace for data fest, yen under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar index , which measures U.S. currency against six key rivals, eased 0.077% at 103.85, after slipping 0.2% on Monday. The index is up 2% this month as resilient economic data bolstered expectations that interest rates may stay higher for longer. The yen inched up 0.12% to 146.36 per dollar in Asian hours but remained close 146.75, its lowest level since Nov. 9. Japan intervened in currency markets last September when the dollar rose past 145 yen, prompting the Ministry of Finance to buy the yen and push the pair back to around 140 yen. The Australian dollar added 0.03% to $0.643, while the New Zealand dollar eased 0.02% to $0.591.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Carol Kong, CBA's Kong, Jackson, Chanana, Ueda, Sterling Organizations: U.S, Reuters, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Ministry of Finance, United, Saxo, Jackson, New Zealand Locations: Nantong, China's, Jiangsu, Japan, United States

☆ Embedded finance, FinOps, and treasury management are grabbing VC attention right now despite a collapse in fintech funding, investors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Global VC fintech funding has been cut in half to $23 billion so far this year, per S&P data. Fintech startups focused on solving business issues have remained somewhat resilient. Globally venture capital funding to fintech companies dropped 49% year-on-year to $23 billion in the first half of 2023, according to S&P data. Within that, investment in consumer-facing fintech startups, such as banking and trading apps, has endured an even more torrid year, sliding by 73.8% to $1.9 billion in Q2. Insider spoke to four fintech investors who identified the areas within B2B fintech that are capturing their attention right now.

Persons: Khalil Hefaf, fintech, Hefaf, Uber, Banks, Alix Brunet, Europe's, Weavr, Griffin cofounders Allen Rohner, David Jarvis Griffin, Dan Chaplin, Kaushik Subramanian, Payrails cofounders Emre Talay, Orkhan Abudullayev, Nicolas Thouzeau Payrails, Chaplin Organizations: Target, Mass Mutual Ventures, Griffin, Dawn Capital, Treasury, Payrails, EQT Ventures, London, UBS Locations: Europe, digitize, London, Germany, Payrails

A worker walks near conveyer belts loaded with iron ore at the Fortescue Solomon iron ore mine located in the Valley of the Kings, around 400 km (248 miles) south of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia December 2, 2013. The world's fourth-largest iron ore miner, which has been beset by senior management turnover over the past two years, earlier in the day announced the resignation of its metals division head and co-CEO Fiona Hick. Fortescue shares, up nearly 2.1% so far this year, fell as much as 6% to A$19.7 by 0200 GMT. A review of its assets at the company's Iron Bridge project resulted in a pre-tax impairment charge of $1 billion. The company said rising interest rates and industry-wide inflation had fuelled the asset write-down at its Iron Bridge project, a major plank in the group's growth strategy.

Persons: Fortescue Solomon, David Gray, Australia's Fortescue, Fiona Hick, Fortescue, Echha Jain, Roushni Nair, Rashmi Organizations: REUTERS, Metals, Fortescue Future Industries, Fortescue Energy, Gibson, Phoenix Hydrogen, Thomson Locations: Port Hedland, Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia, Bengaluru

Sky-high food inflation after erratic monsoon rains damaged crops and disrupted supply chains. Food inflation for July hit a staggering 11.5%, far more than 4.6% in June and marking a three-year high. Even when customers do purchase fashion items, they buy far fewer than they once would have, some of the managers also said. The downturn in fashion spending has also been accompanied by a slide in spending at restaurant chains like Domino's. In some encouraging signs, tomato prices have eased off peaks and India's central bank chief last week said vegetable prices, which have begun to soften, will decline from September.

Persons: Zink London, Skechers, Kaushik Das, Madan Sabnavis, Anjali Mohanty, Tanvi Mehta, Riddhima, Dhwani Pandya, Jatindra, Saurabh Sharma, Aditya Kalra, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: NEW, Euromonitor, Reuters, Skechers USA, Deutsche Bank, Retail, Bank of Baroda, Dhwani, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, New Delhi, Zink London, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Lucknow

That’s almost three times what Russia spent on defense in 2021, before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Those figures are likely to underestimate the total spent on Russia’s war effort. He said that before the war Russia would typically splash around 3-4% of its annual gross domestic product on defense but now it could be anywhere between 8% and 10%. Russia’s exports are still greater than the value of its imports, despite a boost to the latter from the hefty military spending. Rising military spending is, on the other hand, boosting Russia’s industrial output and, with it, GDP.

Persons: London CNN —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, That’s, Richard Connolly, Janis Kluge, Irina Okladnikova, Liam Peach, it’s, Peach, Kluge, “, ”, —, Maksim Konstantinov, Alexandra Suslina, Suslina, Alexandra Prokopenko, Prokopenko, — Anna Cooban, Tim Lister, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Reuters, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Royal United Services Institute for Defence, Security Studies, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Capital Economics, CNN, “, ZUMA, International Monetary Fund, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, International Energy Agency, West Locations: “, Ukraine, Russia, Stockholm, Moscow, “ Russia, Russian, Saint Petersburg, Soviet, Berlin

☆ China's Sinopec's interim profit down 20.1% on lower oil prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese refiners overall benefited from cheap crude oil supplies from Iran, Venezuela and Russia, as Western sanctions forced those producers to sell oil at deep discounts to keep revenue flowing. Although state majors have shied away from Iranian and Venezuelan oil, Sinopec has been taking in Russian supplies, traders have said. Sinopec produced 139.68 million barrels of crude oil during the six months, up 0.02% year on year, while its natural gas output gained 7.6% to 660.88 billion cubic feet. Capital expenditure for the half-year came in at 74.67 billion yuan, versus 64.65 billion yuan a year earlier. Its Hong Kong-listed shares have risen 14.4% year-to-date, outperforming Hang Seng Index (.HSI) which has fallen 10.9% during the period.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Sinopec, Chen Aizhu, Judy Hua, Robert Birsel Organizations: China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, REUTERS, Rights, China Petroleum & Chemical, Sinopec Corp, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Iran, Venezuela, Russia, Sichuan, Hong Kong

☆ Bank of America: Hedge funds are unusually bullish about these 20 stocks as they brace for tough times in markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Here are 20 stocks that hedge funds are gravitating toward in this uncertain market. Although several economic signals have offered investors reasons for optimism right now, hedge funds can't seem to shake their cautious convictions. Bank of AmericaManagers of hedge funds and long-only funds have shifted toward defensive stocks over the last few years, according to Bank of America. 20 stocks hedge funds love nowWhile hedge funds are playing defense until further notice, that's not to say they're bearish. Below are the 20 stocks that hedge funds are unusually bullish about along with the ticker, sector, and net relative weight in hedge funds for each.

Persons: Savita Subramanian, defensives, Subramanian, that's Organizations: Bank of America, BofA's, Equity Locations: defensives, —

Stringer/AFP/Getty Images“Invisible age discrimination for 35-year-olds has always existed in the workplace,” lawmaker Jiang Shengnan told the gathering, reported state-run China Youth Daily. “Although I had really good work experience and a master’s degree, I’m really uncompetitive after 35 years old,” Tao Chen said in his Douyin video. New twist on an old storyFor many Chinese women, the “curse” builds upon and further compounds the entrenched gender discrimination that has long plagued the workplace. And even in areas where some protection was offered – such as for mothers taking maternity leave – enforcement of the law is weak, and gender discrimination remains common, she said. Costfoto/NurPhoto/Getty Images“A large amount of age discrimination is intersectionality – discrimination of age, gender, pregnancy, and caregiving duties,” said the assistant professor.

Persons: Han, She’s, “, ”, don’t, –, Stringer, Jiang Shengnan, hadn’t, Tao Chen, ” Tao Chen, Liu, ” Liu, Yiran Zhang, Zhang, Liu – Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Communist Party, Getty, Central Party School, Chinese Communist Party, Xinhua, ageism, Sichuan University, Cornell Law School, Employees Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, Congjiang, AFP, Xinhua, “, Shenzhen, Suqian, Shenzhen –

☆ Taurine is the latest anti-aging supplement touted for promising results: Here's what scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Taurine, an amino acid that humans produce naturally, is the latest anti-aging supplement that shows potential for increasing longevity. Though taurine levels naturally decline as you age, new research suggests that supplementing taurine may slow down, or reverse, aging in older animals like worms, mice and monkeys. A research paper, published this June in the journal Science, found that daily supplements of taurine increased the lifespan of mice and worms by at least 10%. Mice that received taurine supplements each day lived 10% to 12% longer than mice that didn't. Still, the scientists noticed very positive changes to the monkeys' immune systems, blood-sugar levels, weight and bone health, according to BBC News.

Persons: Dr, Vijay Yadav Organizations: BBC News

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