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☆ Murray says focus must be on Ukraine war, not Wimbledon U-turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MONTE CARLO, April 13 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine and the plight of its tennis players must be at the forefront of discussions at Wimbledon, not the Grand Slam's decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, former world number one Andy Murray said. "It's a difficult decision for Wimbledon. Several Ukrainian players have spoken about how difficult it is to continue competing while their country is at war. "You need to understand their perspective as well, and not just the players that weren't allowed to play last year. "There are Ukrainian players whose families (are affected) and they're going through unbelievably difficult times.

All agreed there was a marked increase in awareness among Indian Muslims about birth control and family planning. The 2021 census has been delayed but the United Nations has projected India's population will touch 1.42 billion this month. "There is a misconception among Muslims that Islam doesn’t allow the use of birth control measures," said Maulana Khalid Rasheed, the imam of the Lucknow Eidgah in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. [1/5] FILE PHOTO-Members of a Muslim family sit down for a meal in an old quarter of Delhi, India March 3, 2023. Experts say the public health system is now unable to keep up with the demand for birth control services from people who are aware about their usefulness, also called an unmet need.

[1/2] A military helicopter, operated by the Houthis, flies over Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2022 for the first time since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen and controlled the country's airspace in 2015. The move signals that regional rifts are easing after rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore relations last month following years of hostility and backing opposite sides in Middle Eastern conflicts, including Yemen. Oman, which shares borders with Yemen, has been trying for years to bridge differences between Yemen's warring parties, and more broadly between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the United States. Saudi Arabia restarted its direct talks with the Houthi group last summer after both sides failed to renew a United Nations-brokered truce deal. Following years of a bitter rivalry and armed conflicts between Saudi Arabia and Iran, their biggest trade partner China recently stepped in to work with both sides and improve relations.

☆ Gaza militants fire rockets into Israel, military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GAZA, April 6 (Reuters) - Palestinian militants fired rockets into southern Israel for a second day on Thursday, the Israeli military said, after a police raid at a Jerusalem flashpoint holy site triggered crossborder fire and stoked fears of further escalation. There were no casualties reported in the early morning rocket attack from the blockaded Gaza Strip, controlled by Islamist militant group Hamas. On Wednesday, Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, a tinderbox of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At least 12 Palestinians were injured and images of officers beating worshippers inside Islam's third holiest site circulated on social media. Militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel soon after, drawing Israeli air strikes.

☆ Cross-border fire in Gaza after Israeli police raid Al-Aqsa mosque
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli police entered Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound before dawn on Wednesday and clashed with worshippers, in what police said was a response to rioting that set off a furious reaction across the West Bank and cross border strikes in Gaza. Witnesses said Israeli tanks also shelled Hamas positions along the border fence in the southern part of the Gaza strip. Israeli police walk inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, early on April 5, 2023 after clashes erupted during Islam's holy month of Ramadan. Ahmad Gharabli | Afp | Getty ImagesThe Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians sustained wounds from rubber-tipped bullets and beatings in clashes with Israeli police. Videos circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed fireworks going off and police beating people inside the mosque.

☆ Canadian PM urges Israel to change its approach after raid, clashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ammar AwadOTTAWA, April 5 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday criticised the Israeli government's "inflamed rhetoric" and urged it to change its approach to the Palestinians amid an upsurge in violence. He also condemned the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants from Gaza. "We're extremely concerned with the inflamed rhetoric coming out of the Israeli government, we're concerned about the judicial reforms ... we're concerned by the violence around the al-Aqsa mosque," Trudeau said. "We absolutely, unequivocally condemn the rocket attacks from militants in Gaza. We need to see a de-escalation of violence," Trudeau added.

☆ Rybakina backs Wimbledon move to allow Russians, Belarusians to play as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 2 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said the grasscourt Grand Slam had taken the correct decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players and allow them to compete at this year's tournament as "neutral" athletes. The 23-year-old said that she had no problem with Russian and Belarusian players competing without their national flags. "They have been playing like this for all the tournaments, so it (Wimbledon) was only Grand Slam they were not allowed," Rybakina told reporters. Players will be prohibited from expressing support for the invasion and must not receive funding from Russian or Belarusian states, Wimbledon organisers added. Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who stunned world number seven Rybakina 7-6(14) 6-2 in the Miami Open final on Saturday, had opposed the Grand Slam's decision.

☆ Hong Kong heiress sues gallery owner Pearl Lam over Banksy painting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, March 22 (Reuters) - An heiress of the Hong Kong beverage giant Vitasoy International (0345.HK) is suing prominent gallery owner Pearl Lam, saying she has paid 500,000 pounds ($613,000) for a Banksy painting that was never delivered, according to a court writ filed this week. The 2005 painting by the British artist is a "remix" of a masterpiece by Impressionist painter Claude Monet. It was sold at a Sotheby's auction in October 2020 for more than 7.5 million pounds, far above an estimated sale price of 3 million pounds to 5 million pounds. Lam is one of more than 170 gallery owners participating in Art Basel Hong Kong this week. Reporting by Farah Master and Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK inflation sucker-punches the BoE, while sterling bulls cheer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

British consumer price inflation (CPI) rose to 10.4% in February from January's 10.1%, above all economists' forecasts in a Reuters poll and almost back to where it was in December. "Core CPI missed by 0.5% - that's one of the biggest, if not the biggest misses on CPI in the recent series of inflation data. "The market is going to be second-guessing (the BoE) right now - it's difficult to assume there's just one more rate hike left in the tank," she said. RLAM's Nicholl noted recent data, such as employment, business activity and manufacturing, had shown strength, and consumer spending has held up. Derek Halpenny, EMEA head of research for global markets at Nomura said January and February's combined annual inflation rate of 9.67% makes for a "mildly supportive" outlook for the pound.

☆ CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang's secretive gene-editing startup has hired ex-Alnylam leaders as CEO and chair
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The gene-editing startup Aera has hired biotech vets Akin Akinc as CEO and John Maraganore as chairman. CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang's newest gene-editing venture has attracted two longtime leaders of the biotech giant Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Insider has learned. Former Alnylam CEO John Maraganore is chairman of Aera. The SEND technology could allow gene-editing technology to treat more diseases. Based on Zhang's SEND research, Aera hopes to deliver gene-editing tools to more organs, ultimately expanding the number of diseases CRISPR can impact.

Hong Kong's new global promotional campaign will "kickstart" the city's reopening to international travelers, the Hong Kong Tourism Board told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Friday. As part of the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign, which was launched on Thursday, 500,000 air tickets will be given away over the next six months, starting in March. The tickets will be given out through three Hong Kong's carriers — Cathay Pacific, HK Express and Hong Kong Airlines. "[But] you want to kickstart and … tell the world in a clear message that Hong Kong and then mainland — we have finally reopened." Some 80,000 tickets have also been reserved for Hong Kong residents which authorities aim to give out in the summer.

☆ Belarusian Sabalenka crowned first 'neutral' Grand Slam champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The big-hitting Belarusian overhauled Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday while barred from representing the eastern European nation. Had Rybakina not switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2018, the Russia-born player would also have competed as a neutral. "I think everyone still knows that I'm Belarusian player. Asked whether missing Wimbledon made her Australian Open win sweeter, Sabalenka was non-committal. The Belarus tennis federation was quick to extend congratulations to the country's second tennis player to win a Grand Slam, following on from twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who was knocked out in the semi-finals.

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit, royal court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise trip to Jordan on Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah, who the royal court said underlined the need for Israel to respect the status quo of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Far-right Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews revere as the Temple Mount, under heavy security this month. It is hopeful that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden will pressure Israel to preserve the status quo in the Al-Aqsa mosque, whose upkeep is paid for by Jordan. Officials told Reuters that King Abdullah is expected to visit Washington at the end of January. Blinken underscored the importance of preserving the historic status quo at the site, according to a statement by the State Department.

☆ King Abdullah meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in surprise Jordan visit -royal court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Finland says a 'time-out' is needed in talks with Turkey over Nordic NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto arrives for the meeting of the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, on November 30, 2022. Finland is calling for a "time-out" in talks with Turkey over Finnish and Swedish accession to NATO, after a series of events between Turkey and Sweden spiked fresh tensions and acrimony. "A time-out is needed before we return to the three-way talks and see where we are when the dust has settled after the current situation, so no conclusions should be drawn yet ... I think there will be a break for a couple of weeks," Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told Reuters in an interview published Tuesday. "Those who allow such blasphemy in front of our embassy can no longer expect our support for their NATO membership," Erdogan said.

☆ At least five injured after blast at mayor's office in Mogadishu
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Somali policemen prepare to take their positions near the mayor's office following a blast in Mogadishu, Somalia January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Feisal OmarMOGADISHU, Jan 22 (Reuters) - At least five people were injured in a blast on Sunday at the gates of the mayor's office in Somalia's capital Mogadishu and gunfire continued to sound, a member of the ambulance service and a witness said. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance Services, told Reuters that ambulance staff had so far evacuated five injured people from the scene of the blast. "We were in the office and we were deafened by a blast, we ran out, gunfire followed," Farah Abdullahi, who works in the mayor's office, told Reuters. The mayor's office is located in the local government headquarters building in a well guarded area of Mogadishu.

☆ Meat cultivated from cow cells is kosher, Israel's chief rabbi rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ari Rabinovitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People prepare Aleph Farms' cultivated thin-cut beef steaks in this handout image taken November 9, 2022. Cultivated meat, grown from animal cells in a lab or manufacturing plant, has been getting a lot of attention as a way to sidestep the environmental toll of the meat industry and address concerns over animal welfare. Jewish dietary law designates kosher meat as having come from a cow slaughtered in accordance with ritual - and requires that it be kept and consumed separately from dairy. Aleph Farms says it collects sample cells from a living animal and then grows more in a cultivator that mimics conditions in the animal's body. While the decision was specific for Aleph Farm's process, it sets a foundation for others.

☆ Jim Cramer says these 5 Nasdaq losers could rebound in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Friday named four stocks that he believes could mount a comeback this year. To come up with his picks, he parsed through last year's worst-performing stocks listed in the Nasdaq 100. MicronHe advised investors to wait several months to buy shares of Micron, but make sure to do so before the chip glut is over. Investors interested in the stock should buy it gradually on the way down, he added. IlluminaHe said that while the company is "superb," he'd rather own shares of DanaherDisclaimer: Cramer's Charitable Trust owns shares of Qualcomm and Danaher.

☆ Israel's Ben-Gvir visits contested Jerusalem holy site, Palestinians protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The Temple Mount is open to all," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter, using the Jewish name for the site. The Palestinian foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns the storming of Al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the conflict". "If Hamas thinks that it can deter me with threats, it should understand that times have changed," Ben-Gvir said on Twitter. But Netanyahu, now in his sixth term as premier, has pledged to preserve the "status quo" around holy sites. The Al-Aqsa compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, is Islam's third-holiest site.

☆ Companies like Airbnb can ban customers based on a criminal background check: Here's how to dispute it if you think yours is in error
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Sarah Belle Lin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Companies like Airbnb say they use background checks to help protect the community. Background checks have proliferated but there are common flaws in the system, experts say. Here's what criminal justice experts say about inaccurate background checks and how to file appeals. "They're not really looking at potential risk in terms of public safety, per se," Stewart told Insider. "I think part of it is companies being able to determine their own criteria," Stewart told Insider.

☆ Deutsche Bank upgrades chipmaker Lam Research, sees a memory demand rebound in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

While 2023 will be more difficult than previously anticipated for Lam Research , 2024 should be better, Deutsche Bank said. Before the upgrade, Ho expected the stock to fall to $400. "Looking beyond the near term, memory WFE is poised to rebound in CY24, as we believe CY23 memory WFE spend is at unsustainably low levels." Another area of spending within the memory space focused on what industry insiders call "foundry" or "logic" is not expected to rebound in 2024 and decline further. But that would be favorable to Lam as its exposure is skewed toward other types of memory technology.

☆ Fans pause action for Friday prayers during first World Cup in a Muslim country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - As noon approached, muezzins across Qatar called Muslim soccer players, fans and officials to the first Friday prayers of the first World Cup to take place in a Muslim country. Unusually for soccer, Muslim fans say Qatar's World Cup has accommodated them like never before - with stadium prayer rooms, concessions selling halal food and no beer-swilling supporters to contend with in the stands following a stadium alcohol ban. For now, Muslim fans are just enjoying an event that caters to their needs. Ridwaan Goolam Hoosen, an avid South African soccer fan, is used to having to leave the grounds to find a prayer space, including at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. "It feels as if this World Cup is for me, it works for me, it fits for me...This is the first of its kind like this," Goolam Hoosen said.

☆ An FTX customer who lost $750,000 during its collapse has filed a lawsuit against the Golden State Warriors, which had FTX as its 'official cryptocurrency platform'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Golden State Warriors named FTX as an "official cryptocurrency platform" last December. Elliott Lam accuses the Warriors of falsely promoting FTX as a "viable and safe way to invest in crypto." The Warriors are also defending a lawsuit in Miami, filed by American FTX customers. FTX filed for bankruptcy on November 11, having previously been worth $32 billion. Getty/Ezra ShawThe Warriors named FTX its "official cryptocurrency platform and NFT marketplace" last December, in a first-of-its-kind partnership which also saw FTX's logo printed on the Warriors' home court.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowNov 21 (Reuters) - The Golden State Warriors were sued on Monday by an FTX customer who accused the reigning National Basketball Association champions of fraudulently promoting the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. The Warriors last December had named FTX its official cryptocurrency platform, in what it called a first-of-its-kind cryptocurrency partnership in professional sports. The lawsuit seeks damages under California consumer laws for customers outside the United States with FTX yield-bearing accounts. Another NBA team, the Miami Heat, on Nov. 11 said it would drop the FTX name from its arena and seek a new naming sponsor. The Heat is not a defendant in the Miami lawsuit.

☆ Cathay Pacific's new chief Lam to spearhead COVID recovery, two-brand plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jamie Freed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Now that the Asian financial hub has scrapped onerous hotel quarantine rules, the airline is looking to build up passenger numbers. "Cathay has a mountain to climb to replace the staff, particularly pilots, that have left and continue to leave," he said. Lam, 50, joined Cathay in 1996, and was previously its chief customer and commercial officer. The two men took the top jobs in August 2019, after the resignation of then chief executive Rupert Hogg and Paul Loo, chief customer and commercial officer, amid mounting Chinese regulatory scrutiny of employees' involvement in the protests. Cathay's new chief customer and commercial officer is Lavinia Lau, 52, who moves from the role of director of customer travel, into a strong position to become its first female chief executive.

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