DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ China launches 'unprecedented' crackdown on its healthcare industry amid economic woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —China has launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting its hospitals, pharmaceutical industry and insurance funds as it grapples with mounting economic challenges and long-standing public frustration about high costs in the behemoth healthcare sector. Some areas have set up hotlines for phoning in tips about corruption in the sector, according to state media. At least one state media report has described the campaign as “unprecedented in the depth, breadth and intensity” of targeting the healthcare sector. Despite wide health insurance coverage, absolute costs of healthcare can be a heavy burden for many in China. “Given the economic slowdown and the shrinking fiscal revenue, the debt-ridden local governments really don’t have the capabilities to invest more in the medical sector and corruption continues to be an issue,” said Huang.

Persons: That’s, Xi Jinping, Ren Jianming, Yanzhong Huang, ”, Huang, Jade Gao, Xi Chen, ” Chen, Winning Health Technology Group’s, Zhou Wei, Sun Ningling, ” “ Organizations: CNN, behemoth, Communist Party, China News Service, Center for Integrity Research, Education, China’s Beihang University, Publishing, Council, Foreign Relations, Getty Images, Yale School of Public Health, Getty, Health Commission, NHC, Central Commission, CSI, Reuters, Shanghai Serum, Winning Health Technology, Peking University People’s Hospital Locations: China, Yunnan, Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, United States, New York, AFP, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

☆ BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2023 reveals nature's more obscure side
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A photo of a bright orange fungus growing on deadwood, with its striking color resplendent against the darkness, has been crowned winner of this year’s BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition. The image competition showcases the “intersection between art and science,” organizers said, in all its weird and wonderful forms. An image depicting an embryonic dinosaur developing within an egg between 72 million and 66 million years ago won the Paleoecology category. It was submitted by Jordan Mallon from the Candian Museum of Nature and created by Wenyu Ren from Beijing, China. A selection of the winning and runner-up images can be viewed in the gallery above.

Persons: Cornelia Sattler, palaeontologists, Roberto García, João Araújo, Victor Huertas, Jordan Mallon, Wenyu Ren Organizations: CNN, BMC, Macquarie University, University of Lund, New, Botanical Garden, James Cook University, Australia, Coral, Candian Museum of Nature Locations: deadwood, Australia, Roa, Sweden, Guinea, Beijing, China

☆ Amazon built a data center empire in northern Virginia. Exclusive filings reveal it's using as much energy as a major city.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Amazon does not disclose how many data centers it occupies, where they are located, or how much electricity they consume. Many of Amazon's data centers listed in the permits have been built recently and some may still be under construction. "You cannot run a data center based on the variability of solar and wind," Boston said. Any producer of renewable energy can sell one REC for every megawatt hour of renewable energy it generates. Brady, the Cushman & Wakefield data center executive, said that data centers often match their backup generation to the capacity of a data center's power supply.

Persons: Shaolei Ren, David Ward, Abraham Silverman, Sean Brady, Glenn Youngkin, Steve Helber, Terry Boston, –, Ben Hertz, Wood Mackenzie, Andy Jassy Mike Blake, Amazon's, Priya Barua, We've, Barua, Blackstone, Weston Swenson, Brady, Swenson, Josh Levi Organizations: Amazon, Washington DC, Amazon Web Services, UC Riverside, Columbia University's Center, Global Energy, Cushman & Wakefield, Dominion Energy, France's, AP, Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Republican, State Corporation Commission, Boston, state's Department, Environmental, Reuters, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Clean Energy Buyers Association, Virginia's Department, Industry, Cushman &, Dominion, Data Center Coalition Locations: Virginia, New York City, Washington, Seattle, France, Ward, Northern Virginia, West Coast, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE

☆ China-Philippines tensions: Is a maritime militia Beijing says doesn't exist causing chaos in the South China Sea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Most of the Chinese ships involved are marked “China Coast Guard,” but among the flotilla are also at least two blue-hulled vessels that resemble fishing boats. After the confrontation last weekend, China claimed the Philippines had violated its sovereignty by grounding the ship on the shoal. That symbiotic relationship became even clearer in 2021 when the China Coast Guard came under the jurisdiction of the Chinese Central Military Commission effectively making it part of Beijing’s military. The Chinese vessels “physically blockaded the supply ship. Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty ImagesChina’s waiting gameAnalysts say they don’t see any appetite in Beijing for actual combat over Second Thomas Shoal, but they also say China can afford to play a waiting game.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, ”, China’s, People’s Liberation Army –, Lyle Morris, CNN ‘, doesn’t, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, Morris, ” Powell, Shoal, Ted Aljibe, Lionel Fatton, ” Washington Organizations: CNN, China Coast Guard, United, “, Philippine Coast Guard, Hague, People’s Liberation Army, PLA Navy, Chinese Central Military Commission, Asia Society, Center for China, National Security, Stanford University, Central Military Commission, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Getty, Webster University Locations: Philippine, South, Philippines, Spratly, United States, Beijing, China, Palawan, Sierra Madre, ”, South China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Washington, Manila, Sierra, AFP, Switzerland

☆ China's Huawei reports small revenue bump on back of core businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A visitor checks a mobile phone near the Huawei logo during the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai, China June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Nicoco Chan/File PhotoSHENZHEN, China, Aug 11 (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) saw modest revenue growth in the first half of the year, with its core information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and consumer businesses generating the lion's share. Revenues rose to 310.9 billion yuan ($43.01 billion), up 3.1% on the same period a year earlier, the Shenzhen-based technology giant announced on Friday. Huawei's profit margin rose to 15%, with a net profit of 46.6 billion yuan, making, according to Reuters calculations, around a threefold improvement on a year earlier. "In the first half of 2023, our ICT infrastructure business remained solid and our consumer business achieved growth," said Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's rotating chairperson and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei.

Persons: Nicoco Chan, Meng Wanzhou, Ren Zhengfei, Richard Yu, David Kirton, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Huawei, Mobile, Congress, REUTERS, Huawei Technologies, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, SHENZHEN, Shenzhen, U.S

☆ This massive, crumbling shipwreck-turned-military station has become the latest flashpoint in tense US-China relations. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Philippine Coast Guard said the ship was carrying supplies to a Filipino military outpost. A massive, crumbling shipwreck that was repurposed by the Philippines and turned into a garrison in the South China Sea. Troops stationed aboard the Sierra Madre, take part in a flag retreat, March 29, 2014. Loresto told The Times that he preferred combat over being stationed on the Sierra Madre. Although the US has no territorial claims in the South China Sea, it has carried out regular naval operations in the region.

Persons: Matthew Miller, Thomas Shoal, Ritchie, Erik De Castro, Joey Loresto, Loresto, Jay Tarriela Organizations: Service, State Department, US State Department, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Reuters, US Naval Magazine, LST, Troops, New York Times, Times, Embassy, China Coast Guard, US Navy Locations: Philippines, South China, China, Wall, Silicon, Philippine, Sierra, Spratly, Madre, Harnett County, Vietnam, Sierra Madre, United States

People wearing face masks are seen on an overpass in front of a residential building in Beijing, China August 11, 2020. Investors may get their first read on the market reaction when official property investment and price data for August is released next month. It was not the curbs that were holding the market down, they said, but Chinese doubts about better days ahead. While not bullish on real estate, she thinks of big-city properties as a "slightly bruised apple amidst a bunch of rotten ones." "I'm concerned about the change," said a 26-year-old pharmaceuticals worker surnamed Song, who had considered buying a property in Beijing before realising he needed his parents' support.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Kate Ren, hasn't, Ren, Ting Lu, Sophia Chen, Chen, Zhuran Zhang, Zhang, Song, Liangping Gao, Ella Cao, Shuyan Wang, Marius Zaharia, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Nomura, Investors, July's Communist Party, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, HONG KONG, Shanghai, China's, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou

☆ Morgan Stanley still likes these Chinese stocks despite a country downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Morgan Stanley has decided to take a break, downgrading MSCI China to equal weight while recommending a few consumer and industrial names. The Politburo meeting signaled policy easing, but outstanding issues — of debt, property, jobs and geopolitics — need significant improvement for sustainable inflows, the Morgan Stanley analysts said. Morgan Stanley has so far only changed it once this year: a cut in July to 5%. And despite their downgrade of Chinese stocks, the analysts added two mainland-traded A shares to their focus list. In its latest report, Morgan Stanley analysts also turned overweight on India.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Laura Wang, Fran Chen, Wood, Warren Buffett, behemoth BlackRock, Biden, Liqian Ren, Ren, Hang Seng, Jack Ma's Alibaba, Morgan Stanley's, Morgan, WisdomTree's Ren doesn't, Ren doesn't, Michael Bloom Organizations: U.S, Chinese Communist Party, China ETF, WisdomTree Trust, Owned Enterprises ETF, Wall, JPMorgan, Baidu, State, Owned Enterprise Fund, Ping An Insurance Locations: China, . U.S, WisdomTree, WisdomTree Trust China, Morgan, Morgan Stanley's China, Hong Kong, India

Over the two trading days since, the market has tried to second-guess the pace at which the BOJ wants yields to move, while the BOJ has run special bond-buying operations to cap yields. "There is only a very, very small possibility of a sudden or very steep rise in JGB yields, because too many people want to buy the bonds. The maximum yield investors demanded was 0.6%, just 10 basis points (bps) above the previous policy cap. The promise of an extra 10-20 bps of JGB yield means 10-year JGBs hedged from dollars into yen can yield upwards of 6%. As per BOJ data, lifers and pension funds held roughly 26% of a 1,132 trillion yen ($7.93 trillion) JGB market at the end of 2019.

Persons: It's, we've, Ales Koutny, Rong Ren Goh, BOJ, Tomoya Masanao, Masanao, Rae Wee, Tom Westbrook, Harry Robertson, Alun John, Vidya Ranganathan, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Bank of Japan, JGBs, Vanguard Asset Management, Eastspring Investments, Foreigners, U.S, Nippon Life, Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, TOKYO, United States, Europe, Singapore, JGBs, Belgian, Japan, PIMCO, Sydney, London

☆ Her New Husband Came With a Haussmann-Style Apartment in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Tim Mckeough | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By the time Megan Grehl finally met Côme Ménage, it felt as if their relationship was meant to be. “We missed each other by a month,” said Ms. Grehl, 37, who now runs her own interior design studio. You just missed Côme. When she posted a photo of the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, brownstone where she had rented an apartment, Mr. Ménage got in touch. Image Côme Ménage, a Brooklyn-based architect, and his wife, Megan Grehl, an interior designer, renovated his 19th-century apartment in Paris as their second home.

Persons: Megan Grehl, Côme Ménage, Grehl, Neri, Hu, Ménage, “, ”, she’d, Côme, Zack DeZon, Yves, Ren Locations: Shanghai, New York, Bedford, Stuyvesant , Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Paris, Williamsburg , Brooklyn

☆ Google's water use is soaring. AI is only going to make it worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Its latest environmental report shows a 20% jump in water consumption in its data centers. Google just published its 2023 environmental report, and one thing is for certain: The company's water use is soaring. The numbers provide a stark reminder of the environmental cost of running huge data centers, which often require vast amounts of water to stay cool. The majority of the water Google is consuming right now is "potable," clean enough to be used as drinking water. In its latest report, Google said it takes "local water stress" (another way of saying scarcity) into account, and said 82% of its freshwater withdrawals in 2022 came from regions with low water stress.

Persons: Shaolei Ren, Ren, Alistair Barr Organizations: Google, University of California Locations: Riverside, Mesa , Arizona, Arizona, Mesa

☆ Llamas don't drink much water. Meta's new AI version is damn thirsty.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta just released a big new AI model called Llama 2. Meta didn't disclose how much water it used to train this AI model. Ren took that and looked at how efficient Meta data centers are when it comes to using energy and water. That yielded his estimate, which he said is almost double the water footprint of Meta's previous big AI model, Llama 1, which came out earlier this year. Meta's data centers used just over 5 million cubic meters of water in 2021.

Persons: Meta, Shaolei Ren, Ren, He's, didn't Organizations: Alpaca Association, UC Riverside, Meta Locations: Arizona

☆ The cloud uses massive amounts of energy. Generative AI will be way worse. A Microsoft data center veteran warns big changes are coming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Training AI models in data centers uses up to three times more energy than traditional cloud tasks. A warning from a Microsoft data center veteranA Microsoft data center. MicrosoftTom Keane, who oversaw Microsoft's cloud data centers for about two decades, recently warned about this. An AI data center will need up to three times more power than a traditional cloud facility, he estimated. "The data center of the future is not in Virginia, it's not in Santa Clara, it's not in Dallas, Texas," Ganzi said.

Persons: Marc Ganzi, Cowen, Nammo, TikTok, Jack Clark, Matthew Barakat, Shaolei Ren, Microsoft Tom Keane, Keane, Bernstein, Mark Moerdler, DigitalBridge, Ganzi, it's, Ellen Thomas Organizations: Dominion Energy, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, McKinsey, Big Tech, Financial Times, AP, Nvidia, UC Riverside Locations: Northern Virginia, Manassas , Virginia, Virginia, DataBank, Santa Clara, Dallas , Texas

☆ With Affirmative Action Decision, College Admissions Could Become More Subjective
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Anemona Hartocollis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the Supreme Court decision striking down racial and ethnic preferences in college admissions, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. had harsh words for Harvard and the University of North Carolina, calling their admissions process “elusive," “opaque” and “imponderable.”But the court’s ruling against the two universities on Thursday could lead to an admissions system that is even more subjective and mysterious, as colleges try to follow the law but also admit a diverse class of students. Officials at some universities predicted that there would be less emphasis on standardized metrics like test scores and class rank, and more emphasis on personal qualities, told through recommendations and the application essay — the opposite of what many opponents of affirmative action had hoped for. “Will it become more opaque? Yes, it will have to,” said Danielle Ren Holley, who is about to take over as president of Mount Holyoke College. “It’s a complex process, and this opinion will make it even more complex.”

Persons: John G, Roberts, ”, Danielle Ren Holley, “ Organizations: Harvard, University of North, Mount Holyoke College Locations: University of North Carolina

☆ Hong Kong film-makers say censorship law spooks investors, actors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jessie Pang | Thomson Reuters | Jessie Pang Joined Reuters In After An Internship. She Covers Hong Kong With A Focus On Politics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The day before their Loose Narratives short film festival began in April, censors denied approval for their short film "Wake in Silence", citing "possible seditious intentions". "I consider myself more commercial, but I still hope to have lots of Hong Kong elements in my movies," he said. "We are scared of the disappearance of the culture and arts of Hong Kong," said Ching Wong, who founded Hong Kong Film Festival UK along with director Ng Ka Leung in 2021. "At this moment, the chance of me finding funds in the Hong Kong market and the Hong Kong government seems to be close to zero," film-maker Chow said. ($1=7.82 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Kiwi Chow, Chow, Kevin Yeung, Rex Ren, David Chan, Ren, Ho, Ching Wong, Ng Ka Leung, Jessie Pang, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Hong, Kong's, Film, Association, British, HK, Film Development, Film Development Council, Times, Fresh, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Film, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, China, Tyrone Siu HONG KONG, Cannes, Hong, Britain, Canada, United States

☆ Why Chinese students are taking graduation photos looking ‘more dead than alive’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

These are graduation photos, and their theme is “being more dead than alive,” according to the accompanying caption. Urban youth unemployment is at record levels, reaching 20.8% in May, and an influx of new job seekers will only increase the competition. Li Nian, a PhD student who graduated this past week, is among those to have posted “more dead than alive” style photos. After being inspired by examples online, Li took her own graduation photos, which are funny despite the tiredness depicted. “I thought I would remember such graduation photos for the rest of my life,” she told CNN.

Persons: sprawled facedown, banister, –, Ren Yong, …, commiserate, ”, Li Nian, Li, Goldman Sachs, ” Young, lockdowns, “, can’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Urban, Students, Wuhan University, China’s Ministry of Education, CNN, Communist Party, Twitter, Weibo, ” Locations: Hong Kong, China, Nanjing, Spain, Italy

☆ How audio startup PodCo is cashing in on Disney and Nickelodeon nostalgia with podcasts hosted by the stars of shows like 'Wizards of Waverly Place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

PodCo produces podcasts themed around Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows from the past two decades. Since their debut, several PodCo shows have ranked among the top 10 television and film podcasts on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, according to Chartable. Along with the hosts, other big-name alums have made appearances on PodCo shows, which are also recorded on video and viewable on YouTube. So when he heard Carlson Romano and Rooney's idea, he leapt at the chance to bring the show back in a new form. Some have written to him personally to say the "Ned's" podcast is leaving them feeling less isolated in their own lives, he added.

Persons: Stevens, Christy Carlson Romano, Brendan Rooney, Kim, Ned Bigby, Harper Finkle, PodCo, Rooney, Krystal Eve, Carlson Romano, Ren Stevens, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Stone, David DeLuise, Stone, Lee Citron, Stone —, California —, —, it's, wouldn't, Alyson Stoner, Zack, Cody, Devon Werkheiser, Werkheiser, Scott Simock, PodCo's, Reed Alexander Organizations: Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, Wizards, Marine Corps, Columbia University, American Film Institute, Apple, PodCo, Edison Research, Triton, Intelligence, Disney, Paramount, Netflix, YouTube, Social, Spotify Locations: Waverly, Hollywood, NBC's, California, TikTok, Texas

☆ Russia arrests U.S. citizen on drug dealing charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. musician and former paratrooper has been arrested in Moscow on drug dealing charges and his court appearance, locked in a metal cage, has been shown on state television. "The former paratrooper and a musician, who is accused of running a drug dealing business involving young people, will remain in custody until Aug. 6, 2023." The spokesperson did not say if U.S. officials had yet had consular access to Leake. When Leake initially came to Moscow, he worked as an English teacher and helped translate songs for Russian bands. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in March on espionage charges that he, the Journal and Washington deny.

Persons: Michael Travis Leake, REN, Leake, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Washington, Evan Gershkovich, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Edmund Klamann, Frances Kerry Organizations: Moscow's, Reuters, REN TV, State Department, U.S ., Street, Washington, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, U.S, Moscow, Russian, Moscow's Khamovniki, Leake, Russia's, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Washington, Melbourne

☆ Disney World's costly Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser to close in late September
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney World's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-day hotel experience, is closing and will make its final voyage this September after being open for only more than a year. First teased during Disney's D23 Expo in 2019, the Galactic Starcruiser, located near the company's Orlando, Florida-based Disney World Resort opened in March 2022. However, the Galactic Starcruiser has been lauded as a dream come true for fans looking for the ultimate Star Wars experience. Alongside these villains there are spies, musicians, rebels and reluctant heroes, everything that makes up a Star Wars story. "Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment," the company said in a statement.

☆ Inside PodCo, the startup cashing in on Nickelodeon and Disney nostalgia, drawing hundreds of thousands of listeners, and scoring brand deals with stars of shows like 'Wizards of Waverly Place'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

"Even Stevens" star Christy Carlson Romano and her husband, Brendan Rooney, founded the startup. Since their debut, several PodCo shows have ranked among the top 10 television and film podcasts on platforms like Apple Podcasts, according to Chartable. Along with the hosts, other big-name alums have made appearances on PodCo shows, which are also recorded on video and viewable on YouTube. So when he heard Carlson Romano and Rooney's idea, he leapt at the chance to bring the show back in a new form. Some have written into him personally to say the "Ned's" podcast is leaving them feeling less isolated in their own lives, he added.

☆ What Your Therapist Doesn't Tell You
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Amy X. Wang | Illustrations Liana Finck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

What Your Therapist Doesn’t Tell You A dozen counselors on what it’s really like to sit in the other armchair. “ ‘I need to pee so bad.’ Clients don’t realize that we have five minutes between sessions and sometimes making it to the bathroom is not possible.” — Jessa White, L.M.H.C.A. You can’t do psychotherapy if a person doesn’t feel safe — there’s no way that’s going to happen. But it’s frustrating too, because as a therapist, you feel you can’t really offer what you signed up for.” — Gabriela Sehinkman, Ph.D., L.I.S.W.-S. To me, therapy is very much like dating, except, you know, obviously you don’t really want to date the person.” — Thien Pham, L.M.F.T.

Some Chinatown residents benefited from the development boom, selling properties to developers or drawing more customers from increased foot traffic. Some residents have shown tentative support for the luxury buildings, saying they might make the neighborhood safer or bring in wealthier Asian residents who could boost Chinatown's economy. Manhattan Chinatown's housing stock is "really aged," which has led to costly fires, according to Thomas Yu, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality. Chinatowns and the pandemicMany debates surrounding luxury development and affordable housing were accelerated by the pandemic, which shuttered hundreds of businesses across Chinatowns. However, business owners who spoke with CNBC said Chinatown's businesses, though still recovering, are keeping the city's culture alive.

☆ 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."

☆ China funds flock to Hong Kong to sate mainland investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Summer Zhen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, April 20 (Reuters) - Large China-based fund managers are setting up shop in Hong Kong for the first time, seeking to fill Chinese investors' appetite for U.S. dollar-based products and international exposure after the country reopened its borders. As mainland-based funds are yuan denominated, fund managers need to set up in Hong Kong to be able to offer foreign currency products. "We are optimistic about Hong Kong as the global asset management hub. "Foreign managers are getting licenses and issuing funds in China - it's natural for us to go overseas," said Jason Yim, managing director of QX Asset Management in Hong Kong. Wealth management firms such as Noah Holdings (NOAH.N), China's largest independent wealth manager, are also aggressively expanding teams in Hong Kong.

☆ Huawei launches in-house software system after being cut off from US services
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( David Kirton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ERP software is used by companies to manage key business operations ranging from accounting to supply chain management. "We were cut off from the old ERP system and other core operation and management systems three years ago," said Tao Jingwen, a Huawei board member and president of its quality, business process and IT management department. The in-house Meta-ERP has been rolled out across 80% of the company's business, Huawei said in a news release. The cut off was a "massive crisis" for Huawei, Tao said in his speech, saying that the old system had been core to the company's operations for over two decades. Huawei's 'meta-ERP' system is a 'cloud-native' product, which uses the company's cloud-computing systems for greater efficiency than traditional ERP products, the person said.

Search resuls for: "REN"

25 mentions found