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☆ Analysis-Grayscale victory big boost for decade-long spot bitcoin ETF push
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Hannah Lang | Chris Prentice | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

FILE PHOTO: Representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin are placed on a PC motherboard, in this illustration taken June 16, 2023. A spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization without having to own it. The SEC has denied all spot bitcoin ETF applications, saying applicants have not shown they can protect investors from market manipulation. Grayscale argued the same setup should be satisfactory for its spot ETF, since both products rely on bitcoin’s underlying price. Other firms have spot bitcoin ETF applications with the SEC, including asset management giant BlackRock, Fidelity and WisdomTree.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Grayscale’s, It’s, ”, Christopher LaVigne, Withers, “, Michael Sonnenshein, Bitcoin, Sui Chung, Joseph Toner, Seth Hertlein, Ryan Louvar, Paul Grewal, ” Coinbase, Withers ’ LaVigne Organizations: WASHINGTON, REUTERS, District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, CNBC, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Fidelity, Coinbase, BlackRock, Supreme Locations: Washington, New York, WilmerHale, BlackRock

☆ Gabon President Ali Bongo wins third term after disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLIBREVILLE, Aug 30 (Reuters) - President Ali Bongo has won a third term in the presidential election with 64.27% of the vote, the Gabonese Election Centre (CGE) said on Wednesday, after a delay-plagued general election that the opposition has denounced as fraudulent. Announcing the result in the early hours, CGE head Michel Stephane Bonda said Bongo's main challenger, Albert Ondo Ossa, had come in second place with 30.77%. Bongo's team have rejected Ondo Ossa's allegations of electoral irregularities. Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba, Brendan McDermid, Ali Bongo, Michel Stephane Bonda, Bongo's, Albert Ondo Ossa, Bongo, Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Alessandra Prentice, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Gabonese Election, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, Rights LIBREVILLE, Ondo, Central African

Representations of cryptocurrency Bitcoin are placed on a PC motherboard, in this illustration taken June 16, 2023. A spot bitcoin ETF would give investors exposure to the world's largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization without having to own it. The SEC has denied all spot bitcoin ETF applications, saying applicants have not shown they can protect investors from market manipulation. Grayscale argued the same setup should be satisfactory for its spot ETF, since both products rely on bitcoin's underlying price. Other firms have spot bitcoin ETF applications with the SEC, including asset management giant BlackRock (BLK.N), Fidelity and WisdomTree (WT.N).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Grayscale's, It's, Christopher LaVigne, Withers, Michael Sonnenshein, Bitcoin, Sui Chung, Joseph Toner, Seth Hertlein, Ryan Louvar, Paul Grewal, Coinbase, LaVigne, Carolina Mandl, Tom Wilson, Michelle Price, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, CNBC, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Fidelity, Coinbase, CME, BlackRock, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Washington, New York, WilmerHale, London

☆ Explainer: What do we know about the Gabon military coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The opposition had denounced the Aug. 26 vote as fraudulent, which Bongo's campaign denied. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWHO IS ALI BONGO AND WHY WAS HE OUSTED? If successful, the Gabon coup would end the Bongo family's 56-year grip on power. It remains unclear how long the transition promised by the military would be or what exactly the officers are planning. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad, and most recently in Niger, erasing democratic gains since the 1990s.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo's, Bongo, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Ali Bongo, Omar Bongo, Brice Oligui Nguema, Anait, Alessandra Prentice, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Military, Central African, Gabonese, Reuters Graphics Reuters, WHO, ALI, Monde, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, GABON, autocrats, Morocco, West, Central Africa, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Gabonese

☆ Gabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The officers said on television channel Gabon 24 that they represented all Gabonese security and defence forces. They said the election results were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice and state institutions were dissolved. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad. "If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region," said the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Bongo, 64, succeeded his father Omar as president in 2009 and was re-elected in a disputed election in 2016.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba's, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Elisabeth Borne, insurgencies, Josep Borrell, Albert Ondo Ossa, Omar, Eramet, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nellie Peyton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Central African, OPEC, French, Military, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Gabonese, Centre, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Gabonese, Gabon, Handout, LIBREVILLE, Libreville, France, West, Central Africa, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad . Niger

☆ Ali Bongo: who is Gabon leader ousted in military coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A still image from video shows Gabon President Ali Bongo being interviewed in Libreville, Gabon, September 24, 2016. Following a stroke, his fitness to rule was questioned, sparking a failed coup in 2019 as he convalesced in Morocco. Before sitting down for a televised interview with Reuters after his 2016 election win, Bongo removed a large silver watch and several gold rings. When Bongo won a 2016 election, accusations of vote meddling stoked public anger amid a period of low crude prices and belt-tightening. In 2019, a military coup was foiled, with the coup plotters citing a lack of information following Bongo's stroke in 2018.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Michael Jackson, Omar, Junior, Alain Bernard Bongo, Ali, Keen, Britain's Prince Charles, Alessandra Prentice, Edward McAllister, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Omar's, WikiLeaks, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, autocrats, Morocco, French, Congo Republic, France, U.S

A panel of judges in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington said the securities regulator's denial of Grayscale's proposal was arbitrary and capricious because the SEC failed to explain its different treatment between bitcoin futures ETFs and spot bitcoin ETFs. CRYPTO WINThe SEC rejected Grayscale's application for a spot bitcoin ETF in June 2022, arguing the proposal did not meet anti-fraud and investor protection standards. The court said in its ruling that the SEC failed to explain why it disagreed with Grayscale's assertion that the bitcoin spot and futures markets are 99.9% correlated. If the SEC chooses not to appeal, the court would issue a mandate specifying how its decision should be executed. That could include instructing the SEC to approve the application, or to revisit Grayscale's application, in which case the SEC could still reject the proposal on other grounds.

Persons: Dado, CRYPTO, Judge Neomi Rao, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Paul Simao, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Securities, Exchange, District of Columbia, SEC, CRYPTO WIN, Fidelity, Appeals, U.S, Supreme, BlackRock, New, Thomson Locations: District, Washington, New York

☆ Gabon to vote as president Bongo seeks to extend 56-year family dynasty
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2022. These include the introduction of a single ballot that requires voters to pick a presidential candidate and lawmaker from the same party. Bongo's camp has positioned him as the firm favourite to win the race, although there has been no reliable polling. His main threat comes from joint opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, 69, an economics and management professor who has campaigned on the need for change and better economic opportunities. I am convinced that this year there will be changeover in Gabon", said pensioner Alain Moussavou at the opposition rally.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba, Brendan McDermid, Ali Bongo's, Bongo, Remadji Hoinathy, Hoinathy, Albert Ondo Ossa, Alain Moussavou, Alessandra Prentice, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Security Studies, Ondo, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, Rights LIBREVILLE, Africa, Bongo, Libreville, Gabon

☆ Niger orders troops to go on 'maximum alert'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The document, which was shared widely online on Saturday, said the order to be on maximum alert would allow forces to respond adequately in case of any attack and "avoid a general surprise". The main West African bloc ECOWAS has been trying to negotiate with the leaders of the July 26 coup, but has said it is ready to deploy troops to restore constitutional order if diplomatic efforts fail. On Friday, the bloc downplayed this threat and said it was "determined to bend backwards to accommodate diplomatic efforts," although an intervention remained one of the options the table. "For the avoidance of doubt, let me state unequivocally that ECOWAS has neither declared war on the people of Niger, nor is there a plan, as it is being purported, to invade the country, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray told reporters. Additional reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Omar Alieu Touray, Camillus, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, Camillus Eboh, Abuja

☆ Niger allows Mali, Burkina Faso troops to enter its territory in case of attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An aerial view of the streets in the capital Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. Any escalation risks further destabilising the insurgency-torn region as Niger's junta-led neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso, have said they would back Niger in any conflict with ECOWAS. On Thursday, the three allies' foreign ministers said they had met in the Nigerien capital Niamey to discuss boosting cooperation on security and other joint issues. The statement said the ministers welcomed the signing on Thursday by Niger junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani of two orders "authorising the Defense and Security Forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to intervene on Nigerien territory in the event of an attack." Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo Writing by Alessandra Prentice Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: General Abdourahamane Tiani, Tiemoko Diallo, Alessandra Prentice, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, West, ECOWAS, Niger, Defense and Security Forces, Burkinabe, Malian Ministers, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Rights BAMAKO, Mali, Burkina, Burkina Faso, Nigerien

☆ US SEC readies vote on regulatory overhaul for private funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The seal of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is seen at their headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. At the time it was proposed, SEC Chair Gary Gensler said the changes would benefit investors in such funds, typically wealthy individuals and institutional investors like pension funds, and companies raising capital from them. "Private fund advisers, through the funds they manage, touch so much of our economy. Private funds reported holding $20.4 trillion in gross assets by the end of 2022, versus $8 trillion about a decade earlier, according to data available on the SEC's website. "We don't see that the SEC is solving anything with this," said Jack Inglis, CEO of the Alternative Investment Management Association.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Gary Gensler, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Jennifer Han, Jack Inglis, Chris Prentice, Douglas Gillison, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Exchange, Fund, SEC, Democratic, Industry, Citadel LLC, Association, Alternative Investment Management Association, Carolina, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, New York, Washington

Signage is seen at the headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. Here are the highlights:PRIVATE EQUITY, HEDGE FUND FEESThe SEC on Wednesday finalized a sweeping overhaul of private rules with the aim of increasing transparency and fairness in the industry which oversees more than $20 trillion in assets. MONEY MARKET FUNDSThe SEC in July finalized rules aimed at increasing the resilience of the $5.5 trillion money market fund industry. MUTUAL FUND LIQUIDITY, PRICING RULESSimilarly, the SEC has proposed new rules aimed at better preparing the broader mutual fund industry for distress. The SEC says speeding up the disclosures is fairer on retail investors, who are disadvantaged by the current 10-day window.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Gary Gensler, Chizu Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Washington ,

The private fund industry manages $20 trillion in assets. They would also require funds to perform annual audits. "Private fund advisers, through the funds they manage, touch so much of our economy," he said at the time. The rule would require fund managers to disclose so-called "side letters" - an industry practice through which funds can offer some investors special terms - when they are financially material. Earlier, the proposed rules would require investors and private funds to re-write all their contracts.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Exchange Commission's, Gary Gensler, Andreesen Horowitz, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, Securities, Exchange, Citadel, Industry, Association, Alternative Investment Management Association, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S

NEW YORK, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Fintech investment adviser Titan Global Capital Management USA LLC agreed to pay over $1 million to settle charges from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled investors about performance metrics and custody of clients' crypto assets. Titan, a New York-based registered investment adviser, misled investors with statements made on its website about hypothetical returns from August 2021 to October 2022, the SEC said in a statement. That included touting annualized crypto performance results as high 2,700% without telling investors they were extrapolated from a "purely" hypothetical three-week period during which no trading occurred, the SEC said in a charging document. Reuters previously reported the SEC was investigating investment advisers over whether they are meeting rules around custody of client crypto assets. Titan agreed to pay a $850,000 civil penalty that will be distributed to affected clients and give back ill-gotten gains and interest of over $192,000, the SEC said.

Persons: Chris Prentice, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Titan Global Capital Management, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Reuters, Titan, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ West African bloc holds talks in Niger with junta
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff brief the press on plans to deploy its standby force to the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana, August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA, Nigeria Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS flew to Niger's capital Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, an ECOWAS source told Reuters, as the bloc pursues diplomatic ways to overturn the July 26 coup. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones. The credibility of the bloc is at stake because it had said it would tolerate no further such overthrows. Reporting by Felix Onuah Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Omar Touray, Felix Onuah, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, Nigeria, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger

REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsABUJA/NIAMEY, Aug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani in the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said. The group that flew in was led by Nigeria's former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar and included ECOWAS commission president Omar Touray, the source said. "After meeting .... (junta leader) General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, the ECOWAS delegation in Niger have also visited President Mohamed Bazoum this evening," he wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. There was no immediate comment from the junta, which has held president Mohamed Bazoum since seizing power despite international calls for his release. ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Omar Touray, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, ECOWAS, West, Twitter, Islamic, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ABUJA, NIAMEY, West Africa's, Niamey, Niger, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ West Africa delegation met ousted president Bazoum during Niger visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 19 (Reuters) - A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc met Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum and junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani during a visit to the capital Niamey on Saturday, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said in an online post. Reporting by Felix Onuah Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Mike Segar, Niger's, General Abdourahmane Tiani, Felix Onuah, Alessandra Prentice, Alison Williams Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, West Africa's, Niamey

☆ Seven children killed in fire at Congolese camp for displaced flood victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo, Aug 19 (Reuters) - At least seven children were killed in eastern Congo on Saturday after a fire broke out at camp for people displaced by flooding, local official Thomas Bakenga said. The children killed in the fire were aged between one and five, while four adults were in a critical condition in hospital, Kalehe territorial administrator Bakenga told Reuters. The deaths bring further tragedy to a community still grieving the loss of at least 460 people in the floods. Overall, close to 9,000 people were impacted by the disaster, which saw flood waters bury buildings in mud and cut off roads. Reporting by Crispin Kyala; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: BUKAVU, Thomas Bakenga, Bakenga, Crispin Kyala, Alessandra Prentice, Alison Williams Organizations: Democratic, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Kalehe, Bushushu, South Kivu

[1/2] Thousands of young Nigeriens gather as they heed call to sign up as non-military volunteers to back up the junta in the capital Niamey, Niger August 19, 2023. That is what made us halt this census," Hima said by the stadium after the crowds dispersed. POSSIBLE ATTACK"They called on the youth to respond to a possible attack on our soil. An ECOWAS delegation flew into Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, showing that efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully are still underway. At the stadium on Saturday, 35-year-old Kader Haliou said patriotism was not the only motivation for those wanting to help the junta.

Persons: Mahamadou, Mohamed Bazoum, Younoussa Hima, Hima, Tahirou Seydou, nodded, Kader Haliou, Alessandra Prentice, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Niger's, Young People, Fatherland, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, West, Africa's

☆ At least 21 civilians killed in central Mali attack - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BAMAKO, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Gunmen killed at least 21 civilians in an attack on a village in central Mali's insurgency-hit Mopti region on Friday, two local sources said on Saturday. The unidentified assailants struck in the afternoon, targeting the village of Yarou near the town of Bandiagara, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The toll is heavy between 20 and 30 killed and wounded," one of the sources said by phone. The second source said the reported death toll stood at 21 and included women, while 11 others were wounded. Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tiemoko Diallo, Alessandra Prentice, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Islamic, Thomson Locations: BAMAKO, Yarou, Bandiagara, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Sahel, Mali

☆ West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Military personnel gesture as the ECOWAS anthem is played during a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff on the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsACCRA/NIAMEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - West African army chiefs were due to hold a second and final day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital Accra, where they have been hashing out the details of a possible military intervention in Niger if diplomacy fails to reverse a military coup. Military officers deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, the West African bloc ECOWAS and others to reinstate him, prompting regional powers to order a standby force to be assembled. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force excepting those also under military rule - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - and tiny Cape Verde. Any escalation would further destabilise West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old Islamist insurgency.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Alessandra Prentice, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ECOWAS, Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, West African, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ACCRA, NIAMEY, Ghana's, Niger, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde, Sahel, al Qaeda

☆ US Senators say Credit Suisse did not review all records when probing Nazi-linked accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Chris Prentice | Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK/ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss lender Credit Suisse did not review all available records when it conducted an internal probe into the historical servicing of Nazi clients and Nazi-linked accounts, according to an investigation published by U.S. lawmakers on Thursday. The logo of Credit Suisse is seen outside its office building in Hong Kong, China, August 8, 2023. “Just under” 1,000 of 65,000 sets of records were available electronically for review, the report said. Neil Barofsky, the former ombudsman, and AlixPartners, the consulting firm Credit Suisse hired to conduct the probe, did not respond immediately to a requests for comment. A spokesperson for Credit Suisse referred Reuters to its April statement defending its review and raising concerns over the ombudsman’s work.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, “, Chuck Grassley, Neil Barofsky, Simon Wiesenthal Organizations: Credit Suisse, Nazi, U.S, REUTERS, Senate, Reuters, Simon, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Bloomberg Locations: ZURICH, Hong Kong, China

☆ Factbox: What you need to know about Niger's ousted president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum participates in a Peace, Security and Governance Forum during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/PoolAug 14 (Reuters) - Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum was toppled by a military junta on July 26. Bazoum's victory in the 2021 election led to Niger's first transition from one democratically elected leader to another. Niger strengthened its alliances with Western powers under Bazoum, becoming a hub for French, U.S., German and Italian forces. Days before Bazoum was sworn in as president in 2021, a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace in an attempted coup.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Niger's, Bazoum, Mahamadou Issoufou, Abdourahamane Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Security, Governance, Africa, REUTERS, Islamic, Nigerien, International Crisis, West, United Nations, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington , U.S, France, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Nigeria, West Africa's, United States

☆ Niger junta: ousted president could be prosecuted for high treason
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File PhotoNIAMEY, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The junta that seized power in Niger in a July 26 coup said late on Sunday that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum could be prosecuted for high treason. Colonel Amadou Abdramane, a spokesperson for the junta, said on state TV that it had "assembled the necessary elements to prosecute the ousted president ... for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger." The bloc's parliament on Saturday said it wanted to send a committee to meet the junta in Niamey. Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alexander Winning and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Mike Segar, Bazoum, Amadou Abdramane, Anait Miridzhanian, Alessandra Prentice, Alexander Winning Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Sunday, ECOWAS, Security, Central, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York City, U.S, NIAMEY, Niger, West, Niamey, Union

The long-awaited rule is expected to require that real estate professionals such as title insurers report the identities of the beneficial owners of companies buying real estate in cash to the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Criminals have for decades anonymously hidden ill-gotten gains in real estate, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in March, adding that as much as $2.3 billion was laundered through U.S. real estate between 2015 and 2020. That debate has slowed down FinCEN's work on the real estate reporting rule, one of the sources said. PATCHWORKWhile banks have long been required to understand the source of customer funds and report suspicious transactions, no such rules exist nationwide for the real estate industry. FinCEN implemented GTOs in 2016 after the New York Times revealed that nearly half of luxury real estate was bought by anonymous shell companies.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Erica Hanichak, FinCEN, Jodi Vittori, Guo Wengui, Guo, Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Howard, David Szakonyi, Luc Cohen, Chris Prentice, Amy Stevens, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Treasury Department, FACT Coalition, Association, New York Times, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Nardello, Government, Office, George Washington University, New, Thomson Locations: New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Chinese, Jersey, Manhattan

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