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The audit has not changed the U.S. Treasury's view that the bank must make reforms before the department will support disbursements from the Afghan Fund to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB, as the central bank is known, said a U.S. Treasury official on condition of anonymity. It also must prove that it has "adequate" controls against money-laundering and terrorism financing and install a "reputable" independent monitor, said the Treasury official. A Taliban administration spokesman and a spokesperson for the Afghan central bank did not respond to request for comment. Afghanistan remains mired in grave humanitarian and economic crises that some experts say has been worsened by U.S. restrictions hampering DAB's ability to perform key central bank functions, such as ensuring stable exchange rates and prices. Calling the audit a "preliminary assessment," the Treasury official said its "limitations" suggested that "more comprehensive third-party assessment efforts may be needed."

Persons: ”, disbursements, Shah Mehrabi, Mehrabi, Anwar ul, Haq Ahady, Jonathan Landay, Charlotte Greenfield, Don Durfee Organizations: U.S ., Afghan, Da, Da Afghanistan Bank, Treasury, Federal Reserve Bank of New, DAB, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, U.S, Afghan Fund, State Department, The State Department, Reuters, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, ISLAMABAD, U.S, Da Afghanistan, Swiss, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Afghan, Washington, United States, Afghanistan, American

☆ The 'Barbie' movie has been banned and censored across 2 Southeast Asian countries, and it shows how the territorial dispute over the South China Sea is becoming intense
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vietnam and the Philippines are up in arms over a controversial map in the upcoming "Barbie" movie. The map seemingly depicts China's claim over a disputed part of the hotly contested South China Sea. A hotly contested territorial claim has moved away from the realm of politics and landed smack-dab in the middle of the upcoming "Barbie" movie promotions. Barbie is not the only movie to land in hot water over this disputed territoryBarbie is not the first movie to be banned in Vietnam over the territorial dispute. The South China Sea is a hotly contested waterway, with China, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam all staking competing claims.

Persons: Warner Bros, it's, Margot Robbie, Barbie, Tuoi, Warner, Blackpink, Tuoi Tre Organizations: Warner, Warner Bros, Philippine, Philippine Star, South China, Netflix, Eurasia Group Locations: Vietnam, Philippines, China, South, Beijing, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, The Hague, Asia

☆ Can I Use ChatGPT for the Tedious Parts of My Job?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Kwame Anthony Appiah | More About Kwame Anthony Appiah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

I’m a writer and a college professor at a small college, and I recently became chair of the English department. Is it OK to use ChatGPT to generate drafts of documents like these, which don’t make a claim to creative “genius”? Do I need to cite ChatGPT in these documents if I use it? What you would be doing with ChatGPT isn’t so different. For an annual report, you might prompt it with specifics about job searches, departmental priorities, student concerns, revisions of the curriculum and so forth.

Persons: I’m, aren’t, ChatGPT

☆ Toxic algae is making sea lions on Southern California beaches aggressive and unpredictable: It's the ‘new normal,' marine mammal expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

An algal bloom near southern California beaches is causing sea lions to act unpredictably. It's also causing the sea lions to give birth to stillborn pups, a marine mammal expert said. For the past month, beachgoers have spotted sea lions across Southern California's coastlines — from Ventura to San Diego counties — exhibiting peculiar behavior. The cause is a toxic algal bloom that experts have told Insider is the "worst outbreak" in Southern California yet. Sea lions rest at the Marine Mammal Care Center facility.

Persons: It's, unpredictably, John Warner, Warner, we've, There's Organizations: Service, Marine Mammal Care, Mammal Care, beachgoers, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Fisheries, Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, USA, Warner, Los Angeles Unified School District, Environmental, Group, ABC News, California's Locations: California, Southern California, Southern, Ventura, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara

☆ Good Luck, and Bad, on New York’s Sidewalks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Amelia Nierenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Look down, and you may find yourself standing in a “good luck spot,” drawn in pastel pink or blue or yellow. Or maybe a “bad luck spot.” Or maybe many bad luck spots. “It’s like a practical joke,” Mr. Morelo, 51, said on a recent afternoon, his hands dusty with chalk. Some days, Mr. Morelo fills an entire stretch of sidewalk with bad luck anemones, leaving only a small path between them. Or he may draw one huge bad luck sinkhole, right where skateboarders gather.

Persons: Felix Morelo, ”, “, Mr, Morelo Locations: Washington, New York

☆ In Ancient Egypt, Severed Hands Were Spoils of War
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Franz Lidz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aristotle called the hand the “tool of tools”; Kant, “the visible part of the brain.” The earliest works of art were handprints on the walls of caves. Throughout history hand gestures have symbolized the range of human experience: power, tenderness, creativity, conflict, even (bravo, Michelangelo) the touch of the divine. The hands, along with numerous disarticulated fingers, were most likely buried during Egypt’s 15th dynasty, from 1640 B.C. Eventually, a few rose to power as the Hyksos, basing their power in Avaris. A recent study published in the journal Nature proposes that the Hyksos had a custom known as the Gold of Valor, which involved taking the hands of enemy combatants as war trophies.

☆ The Star Wars timeline: All movies and shows in chronological order
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

These details are pulled from the official “Star Wars” resources “Ultimate Star Wars” and “Star Wars Character Encyclopedia,” as well as experts from outlets like USA Today and the AV Club. ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (animated series)Ahsoka is Anakin's padawan in "The Clone Wars," and he lovingly calls her "Snips." ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’"Solo" shows how Han and Chewie became best friends. ‘Star Wars Rebels’Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren take on the Empire in "Star Wars Rebels." ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’Heroes attempt to find the plans to blow up the Death Star in "Rogue One."

☆ The Essential (and at Times, Elusive) Power of Mustard Oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Priya Krishna | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When the chef Asma Khan was growing up in Kolkata, India, she learned that there was very little mustard oil couldn’t do. A dab of the oil could cure them all. “You feel it coming through your nose,” said Ms. Khan, the owner of the Indian restaurant Darjeeling Express in London. It is all coming from the mustard oil. It is like a living oil.”

☆ Sergio Ermotti makes surprise comeback to lead UBS into new era
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STORIES: read moreASHLEY PITTARD, HEAD OF GLOBAL EQUITIES, PENDAL, SYDNEY: (A SHAREHOLDER)"Without a doubt, he is the right person for the job. "Sergio was in the trenches during and post the global financial crisis when UBS was in a lot of trouble. VICTORIA SCHOLAR, HEAD OF INVESTMENT, INTERACTIVE INVESTOR, LONDON"Having steered UBS through the aftermath of the 2008 GFC and a rogue-trading scandal, Ermotti is a dab hand at crisis management. He also helped UBS to navigate through the onset of the pandemic and the corresponding market volatility during most of 2020. With Ermotti, UBS is bringing on board a proven expert on the bank and an effective enforcer for the successful merger of the two banks.

☆ Pepsi has a new logo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —If someone were to ask you to draw the Pepsi logo from memory, what would you draw? Pepsi has changed its logo over the years. The “Pepsi” in the logo “is decoupled from the globe,” noted Todd Kaplan, Pepsi’s chief marketing officer. Pepsi says that the changes its making are distinctive enough to do the trick, and highlight modern elements like Pepsi’s zero-sugar line. To highlight the zero line, the new logo uses black font and a black border, a nod to Pepsi Zero’s black can and label.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has said the central bank may be at the end of its rate-rising cycle, there's a wide 'hawk-dove' divide within the European Central Bank, and the Bank of Canada on Wednesday became the first major central bank to pause its tightening campaign. "I don't think other major central banks are going to be able to match what the Fed is going to do. "The dollar can stay elevated as long as the Fed remains the most aggressive central bank in the world." Of course, central bank cycles don't always converge. Related columns:- Hedge funds record wager on higher 2-year U.S. bond yield- Rates market overshoot - or no man's land?

☆ MediaMath seemed destined for a $1B fairy-tale exit. Instead, most early investors got nothing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

At its Halloween party in 2015, the adtech startup MediaMath seemed on the brink of greatness. The machine-learning revolution that took over the financial industry was finally happening in marketing, and many industry insiders considered MediaMath to be the hottest adtech company of the time. "We never came close to consummating such a deal with MediaMath nor entertained the purported valuation," said a representative for Singtel. The Trade Desk, the most comparable independent DSP company to MediaMath, was riding high after its 2016 initial public offering. The quasi-equity agreement was structured to protect Searchlight if MediaMath didn't perform to certain quotas or if things went south financially.

Analysts agree that U.S. equity valuations are expensive, nominally and relative to history and overseas peers. The S&P 500 is still up 3.5% this year, the Nasdaq up 10%, and the S&P 500 price-to-earnings ratio comfortably above historical averages and current international comparisons. "The equity market is buying into a pretty rosy outlook, the 'immaculate disinflation' concept. The S&P 500 is currently trading at around 18.5 times 12-month forward earnings. "Neither of these outcomes are favorable for premium market valuations," Lerner wrote in a note on Monday.

The families, comprising more than 10,000 people, had asked U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan to put his Feb. 21 decision on hold while they appeal. "An important public interest lies in the enforcement of terrorism judgments," Daniels wrote. In ruling against the families, Daniels said awarding them the frozen assets would effectively recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, which the Biden administration has not done. The president ordered $3.5 billion set aside to benefit the Afghan people, leaving the rest for the families to pursue. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Tuesday victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are not entitled to seize $3.5 billion of assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank to satisfy court judgments they obtained against the Taliban. U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan said he was "constitutionally restrained" from finding that the Taliban was Afghanistan's legitimate government, a precursor for attaching assets belonging to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB. Daniels said letting victims seize those assets would amount to a ruling that the Taliban are Afghanistan's legitimate government. He said U.S. courts lack power to reach that conclusion, noting that Biden administration does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb 16 (Reuters) - The notion that higher interest rates would slam stocks has been turned on its head by Wall Street's resilience to the most dramatic upward repricing of the U.S. rate outlook in decades. More remarkable still, it is the areas most sensitive to higher borrowing costs - tech, the Nasdaq and growth stocks - that are outperforming in the face of soaring bond yields, implied rates and Fed expectations. These sectors are more sensitive to rising yields because future cash flows and profits are discounted at higher rates. "Higher interest rates are less bad for stock prices, even though rates can continue to weigh on multiples." In a higher rate regime, profitability matters.

Two-year Treasury yields hit their highest in three months at 4.65%, now on par with the current Fed policy rate. Morgan Stanley's Matthew Hornbach described the payrolls as a "mood changing" print that's seen markets chase rates higher as if gripped by a sort of reverse FOMO - fear of missing out. Reports circulated last week of swaps and options market activity on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange that bet on market rates touching 6%, or at least hedging against that possibility. If that's true, the battle over the terminal rate may now be overtaken by how long the Fed can keep rates higher to achieve its goals. BofA chart on peak rates from fund manager surveyInflationThe opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

☆ Hong Kong's Lee faces stern test over $3.4 bln bid to ease housing shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong is notorious for its number of subdivided flats, estimated at 110,000 units at a median area of 124 square feet, smaller than a parking space. The government said the Light Public Housing would help tenants of sub-divided flats, as the rent would be HK$780 to HK$2,650 per month, significantly below the current median of HK$5,000 rent for subdivided flats. "Many people said Hong Kong is an international city, but its living environment is not ideal," Eric Chan, the city's No.2 official, told reporters this week. "Is the government trying to achieve the task (of increasing public housing) at any cost of public money?" ($1 = 7.8490 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree & Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How M&M’s is making the most of its spokescandies controversy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Given the outsize attention, some think M&M’s announcement is a PR stunt to hype its upcoming Super Bowl commercial. M&M’s relatively subtle changes aimed at inclusivity didn’t seem like they were designed to spark much controversy, if any. At the Washington Post, for example, an opinion piece declared “the M&M’S changes aren’t progressive. “In the last year, we’ve made some changes to our beloved spokescandies,” M&M’s said. “The original colorful cast of M&M’s spokescandies are, at present, pursuing other personal passions,” Wesley said.

☆ 4 things you didn't know about shooting a Christmas movie in the summer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Eboni Boykin-Patterson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Pat Mills is a movie director who's directed his share of made-for-TV Christmas movies. I've directed two made-for-TV Christmas movies — "The Christmas Setup," starring Fran Drescher, which I did in 2020 for Discovery Plus, and "Designing Christmas," starring HGTV host Hilary Farr, which I shot this past spring for Lifetime. When I was offered the first movie, I admittedly I hadn't watched a lot of the Hallmark or Lifetime holiday movies. Here are a few things most people don't realize about how we fake that Christmas feeling when we shoot in the warmer months. Fake snow can be a huge drag on the budget of a made-for-TV movie.

☆ Morocco Stuns Spain in Penalty Shootout to Advance to World Cup Quarterfinals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar—For a young Spanish team reeling from a shocking loss to Japan at the end of a group stage, Morocco provided a nasty test in the Round of 16. The Moroccans dominated qualifying in Africa, emerged first from a group here that included 2018 semifinalists Belgium and Croatia, and brought a sea of fans in red with green stars. Education City Stadium, inside a development that houses satellite campuses for international universities, sounded like it was smack dab in the middle of Casablanca.

☆ How to Clean a Leather Purse, According to Experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

These are the ones to use on the majority of leather types (excluding nubuck, patent leather, and suede). His go-to is Leather Master Leather Care Bundle, a three-step process of cleaning, conditioning and protecting; it entails applying the formulas with a foam sponge or lint-free cloth, allowing each coat to dry before the next. Additionally, when used in conjunction with a leather polish, there wasn’t any difference from using the polish on its own. In fact, because these methods required getting the leather somewhat damp, the results often led to leather that dried with a rumpled texture—one reason experts strongly caution against saturating leather. To prevent future blemishes, store your leather bag on a shelf in a cool, dry place.

☆ Remote Work Is Gutting Downtowns, Will Cost Cities $453 Billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Emil Skandul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Even 2 1/2 years later, most city downtowns aren't back to where they were prepandemic. Without more-robust policies to address failing downtowns, cities are going to start hurting. The increased cancellations of office leases have cratered the office real-estate market. Since 2016, only 112 commercial office spaces in the US have been converted, while 85 projects are underway or have been announced, according to CBRE's data. The birth of the central social districtTo avoid a commercial real-estate apocalypse, cities will need to streamline conversions.

☆ I Finally Found a Hat That Fits Over a Bun, Top-Knot or Updo
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

When I started wearing my hair in a bun virtually every day, I discovered that wearing a sun hat became…a real pain in the buns. Suddenly, the bucket hat styles that I’d loved for years either didn’t stay on my bun-topped head or looked rather ridiculous—like a lumpy Cat in the Hat. The North Face hat is made for outdoor adventures, fabricated from a durable, quick-dry recycled nylon with a perfectly-angled bucket brim with some oomph to it. The North Face name and logo comes embroidered boldly and noticeably smack-dab on the forehead, which was a little too much for me. Once I started wearing it all the time, in my Brooklyn neighborhood, I realized it was more an object of envy than ridicule.

☆ Swiss-based trust fund for frozen Afghan assets meets in Geneva
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The board of a Swiss-based trust fund managing some $3.5 billion in frozen assets seized after the Taliban took power last year is meeting in Geneva for the first time on Monday, a Swiss government spokesperson confirmed. The frozen central bank reserves were recently transferred from Washington into the 'Fund for the Afghan People' where U.S. officials say it will be shielded from the Taliban. The fund's statutes says its purpose is to "receive, protect, preserve and disburse assets for the benefit of the Afghan people". The $3.5 billion forms part of an original $7 billion being held in the United States following the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Ambassador to Switzerland Scott Miller, Anwar Ahady, a former Afghan central bank chief and former finance minister, and Shah Mehrabi, a U.S. academic who remains on the DAB Supreme Council.

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