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☆ China curbs graphite exports in latest critical minerals squeeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Here are key details on graphite and China's limits on exports of strategic minerals. That's about double the amount of lithium in an EV battery. China also refines more than 90% of the world's graphite into material used in virtually all EV battery anodes. Top buyers of graphite from China include Japan, the U.S., India and South Korea, according to Chinese customs data. OTHER CHINESE MINERAL EXPORT CURBSIn July, China announced export restrictions on eight gallium and six germanium products starting on Aug. 1.

Persons: Tony Munroe, Amy Lv, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, . Geological Survey, EV, Mercedes, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Qingdao, Shandong province, China, Rights SINGAPORE, Mozambique, Madagascar, Brazil, Japan, U.S, India, South Korea

☆ China export curbs choke off shipments of gallium, germanium for second month
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's exports of wrought germanium products stood at 1 kilogram, versus zero in August after a flurry of buying prior to the restrictions saw shipments of wrought products surge to 8.63 metric tons in July. China exported no wrought gallium products in August and September. Exporters of germanium and gallium products now need to obtain an export licence for dual-use items and technologies, meaning those with potential military and civilian applications. Some Chinese companies have obtained export licences for gallium and germanium products, the Ministry of Commerce said in September. China's exports of wrought germanium totaled 36.49 tons in the first nine months of 2023, up 47.4% on the year, while shipments of wrought gallium fell 61.9% on the year to 22.72 tons over the same period.

Persons: Amy Lv, Dominique Patton Organizations: cnsphoto, REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of Commerce, Shanghai Metals, Thomson Locations: Ningbo Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Washington

☆ Sam Altman says he can't rule out OpenAI making its own chips, as AI firms around the world scramble to get enough processors
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sam Altman said OpenAI would "never rule out" building its own AI chips. The company is dealing with a global shortage in microprocessors vital for training AI. Reuters reported that OpenAI was considering developing its own chips in a break from Microsoft. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Altman has said that OpenAI will "never rule out" building its own AI chips as it grapples with a global shortage of vital processors. AdvertisementAdvertisementReuters reported earlier this month that OpenAI was exploring making its own chips to power ChatGPT.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, —, Altman, I'd Organizations: Reuters, Microsoft, Service, Nvidia

☆ Chinese tech giant Baidu says its latest update to ChatGPT rival Ernie is 'not inferior in any respect' to GPT-4
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese search giant Baidu has unveiled the latest version of its Ernie generative AI model. The company says that it is a match for GPT-4, the large language model behind OpenAI's ChatGPT AI. AdvertisementAdvertisementChinese AI companies are racing to match ChatGPT — and now, one says it has a chatbot that can go toe-to-toe with OpenAI's GPT-4 model. The chatbot is now also able to provide video and audio responses — unlike OpenAI's GPT-4, which currently only generates text responses. "Ernie is not inferior in any respect to GPT-4," said Li, in comments reported by Bloomberg .

Persons: —, ChatGPT —, OpenAI's, Ernie, Robin Li, Li Organizations: Baidu, GPT, Service, Bloomberg, Microsoft, US Locations: Beijing, China, Taiwan

☆ Russia is using bags of cash and diamonds to avoid sanctions and fund its weapons program, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia is using illicit cash channels to fund covert activities, analysts say. Kremlin is exploiting gaps in sanctions laws, but also using older methods like cash and diamonds. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussia is using covert financial networks to fund its purchases of banned weapons technology, getting round Western sanctions in the process, analysts told Insider. That money, he said, is then placed in accounts in countries such as Turkey and the UAE, where western sanctions are not closely enforced. Under Western sanctions, banks must investigate suspicious transactions to make sure they're not being used to circumvent sanctions.

Persons: —, Pavlo Verkhniatskyi, Verkhniatskyi, Banks, David Lewis, Russia Verkhniatskyi, FATF Organizations: Service, International, University of Exeter, Force Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Turkey, UAE, Kazakhstan, Armenia, North Korea, Iran, Myanmar

☆ Dozens of cats left to die in Abu Dhabi desert, prompting outcry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Aimee Look | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abu Dhabi, UAE CNN —A group of United Arab Emirates residents has found more than 140 cats dumped in a desert lot in the capital Abu Dhabi, in a phenomenon that has drawn criticism from international animal rights organizations and prompted a government investigation. The animals were abandoned across the highway from the government-run Abu Dhabi Animal Shelter in al Falah, a residential area in Abu Dhabi. September temperatures reach a high of 40.5C (105F) in Abu Dhabi city. Ten pet cats from Dubai, an hour’s drive from Abu Dhabi, were identified by microchips and returned to their homes. Abu Dhabi initiated a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in 2008 to control feral and stray cats, primarily through the Abu Dhabi Animal Shelter.

Persons: Chiku, Jason Baker, ” Baker, Katherine Polak, microchips, Abu Dhabi Organizations: UAE CNN, United Arab Emirates, Abu, Abu Dhabi Animal, CNN, Animals, PETA, PETA Asia, Abu Dhabi’s Department, Municipalities, Humane Society International, International Organization for Animal Protection Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Falah, PETA Asia, Dubai, Abu

☆ How GlobalFoundries aims to remain world’s third-biggest semiconductor foundry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Katie Tarasov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Based in upstate New York, GlobalFoundries isn't a household name because it's manufacturing semiconductors that are designed and sold by other companies. "Look at every electronic device in your house, and I would bet you money that every one of those devices has at least one GlobalFoundries chip in it," Thomas Caulfield, GlobalFoundries CEO, told CNBC. GlobalFoundries chips are inside everything from smartphones and cars to smart speakers and Bluetooth-enabled dishwashers. Although GlobalFoundries' chips are considered legacy nodes, the process and resources needed are still incredibly complex. GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 in Malta, New York, where Equipment Engineering Manager Chris Belfi led CNBC's Katie Tarasov on a tour on September 5, 2023.

Persons: GlobalFoundries, it's, Thomas Caulfield, They're, GlobalFoundries isn't, Caulfield, Abu, Moorhead, Jerry Sanders, Katie Tarasov, Carlos Waters, Daniel Newman, couldn't, TSMC, China's, STMicroelectronics, Hui Peng Koh, that's, Chris Belfi Organizations: HK GM LMT, GlobalFoundries, CNBC, Bluetooth, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Devices, AMD, Chartered Semiconductor, Nasdaq, Futurum, U.S, Semiconductor Manufacturing International, Samsung, fabs, United Microelectronics, we've, Upstate Locations: New York, China, U.S, Singapore, Germany, France, Malta , New York, Dresden, Malta, Vermont, South Korea, Taiwan, TSMC, Crolles, Chengdu, Upstate New York, Europe, Koh, Arizona, Asia

☆ How surging trade with China is boosting Russia’s war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +15 min

Mikhail Tereshchenko | Afp | Getty ImagesThe defense ministries of China and Russia did not respond to CNBC's request for comment on the trade flows. Trade of 'dual-use' goods spikesTotal bilateral trade between Russia and China hit a record high of $190 billion in 2022, up 30% from 2021. Semiconductor sales to Russia from China and Hong Kong more than doubled in 2022 as Western sanctions took hold. Meantime, construction equipment has played an "underappreciated" but significant role in China's contribution to Russia's war efforts, having helped bolster its defenses against Ukraine's counteroffensive, Joseph Webster, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said. The findings add to the growing list of Chinese goods and companies reported to be supplying Russia's military, including state-owned enterprises.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Mark Cancian, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Mikhail Tereshchenko, Wang Yi, China's, Putin, Li Shangfu, —, Qilai Shen, Antonia Hmaidi, Cancian, they've, Hong Kong Retekess, Legittelecom, It's, Silva, Hmaidi, Joseph Webster, Webster, that's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Russia's Organizations: CNBC, for Strategic, International Studies, Kremlin, Afp, Getty, Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Bank of Finland's Institute, Emerging, Semiconductor, CNBC CNBC, Federal, Service, SZ DJI Technology, Robotics, Iflight, SZ, Technology, Bloomberg, Rostov, R Technology, Beijing KRnatural International Trade Co, Mercator Institute for China Studies Defense, Industry, Hong, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Moscow, ImportGenius, Ukraine's, Atlantic Council, Atlantic, U.S, China Taly Aviation Technologies, China Poly Technologies, EU, Beijing, National Security Council Locations: Ukraine, China, Washington, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Beijing, U.S, Kyiv, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, DJI, Liaoning, Shanghai, Berlin, Buryatia, Hubei, Korea, Pyongyang, Russia's, Amur, Chechen Republic, Qianwan, Qingdao Port, Shandong Province, deniability

☆ JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warns the Russia-Ukraine war and other global clashes are the greatest threat to the world today
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Be ready for energy prices to spike and interest rates to climb higher, Jamie Dimon said. The JPMorgan CEO warns geopolitical threats like Russia's invasion of Ukraine are critical concerns. AdvertisementAdvertisementBe prepared for higher energy prices, steeper interest rates, and a potential economic hangover from a reduction in government spending, Jamie Dimon says. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine – and how it's reshaping global relations – is the number one threat to the world, according to the JPMorgan CEO. "I think people should be prepared for higher oil and gas prices, higher rates," Dimon told CNBC-TV18 on Tuesday.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, —, Dimon, we've Organizations: Service, Ukraine –, JPMorgan, CNBC, TV18, Federal Reserve Locations: Ukraine, Russia, European, China

☆ Chipmaker ASML to set up base in Japan's Hokkaido to support new Rapidus plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An ASML spokesperson said the company will have a customer support team for Rapidus, but could not immediately confirm staff numbers. Nikkei, which first reported the news, said that 50 ASML engineers will install an ASML "EUV" machine on a prototype line in Chitose City, Hokkaido. "We always have engineers that support our systems in our customers' fabs," the ASML spokesperson said, referring to customers' factories. TSMC, Samsung, Intel and memory chip specialists SK Hynix and Micron currently manufacture using ASML's EUV tools. The Nikkei report said ASML is also expanding its existing support base for TSMC, which is building a major plant in Kumamoto in Japan.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, ASML, Rocky Swift, Toby Sterling, Louise Heavens, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rapidus, Nikkei, Samsung, Intel, SK Hynix, Micron, Thomson Locations: Hokkaido, Chitose City, Kumamoto, Japan

☆ US firm AXT says China unit has initial export permits for key chipmaking metals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The elements of Gallium and Germanium are seen on a periodic table, in this illustration picture taken on July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. semiconductor wafer maker AXT Inc (AXTI.O) said its Chinese subsidiary Beijing Tongmei had received initial export permits for shipping gallium arsenide and germanium substrates - compounds key to chipmaking - to certain customers. China's Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday that some Chinese companies had obtained export licences for gallium and germanium products, with more still being reviewed. This came after China's exports of germanium and gallium items plunged in August, the first month of the export controls，customs data showed on Wednesday. There were also no exports of wrought gallium products in August, compared to 5.15 tons in July and 7.67 tons in August in 2022, the data showed.

Persons: Florence Lo, Beijing Tongmei, Tongmei, Amy Lv, Dominique Patton, Tom Hogue, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, AXT Inc, Beijing, China's Ministry of Commerce, China, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING, . California, China, Beijing, United States, Washington

☆ China approves export licences for chip materials gallium, germanium
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The flag of China is placed next to the elements of Gallium and Germanium on a periodic table, in this illustration picture taken on July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Some Chinese companies have obtained export licences for gallium and germanium products, the commerce ministry said on Thursday, after Beijing set new conditions on exports from Aug. 1. The comments came after China's exports of germanium and gallium items plunged in August, the first month of the export controls，customs data showed on Wednesday. China unveiled curbs that month on exports of eight gallium and six germanium products, starting from August. The new rules require exporters of germanium and gallium products to obtain an export licence for dual-use items and technologies, or those which have potential military and civilian uses.

Persons: Florence Lo, Yadong, Joe Cash, Albee Zhang, Amy Lv, Jason Neely, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Washington

☆ Nvidia, other US chip stocks stall over valuation, industry worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The nVIDIA booth is shown at the E3 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2017. Chip stocks soared to start the year, with the Philadelphia SE Semiconductor index (.SOX) rising over 50% through July. With "some of the names that really have catapulted to the top, now you are starting to question valuations,” Mahn said. Of course, many chip stocks are sitting on substantial gains for the year and this month may only be a temporary setback. “I do believe there are opportunities in semiconductor stocks going forward," Mahn said.

Persons: Mike Blake, “, Lip, LSEG Datastream, Kevin Mahn, ” Mahn, Taiwan's, chipmaker, Mahn, Lewis Krauskopf, Ira Iosebashvili, Andrea Ricci Organizations: nVIDIA, REUTERS, Nvidia, Philadelphia, Semiconductor, Wealth Management, Hennion, Walsh Asset Management, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Lam Research, Applied, KLA Corp, Arm Holdings, Devices, Broadcom, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, United States, China, Washington

☆ China says opposes discriminatory U.S. practices against firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Sept 20 (Reuters) - China opposes discriminatory practices by the United States against Chinese companies, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, after the U.S. commerce department said an advanced phone chip made by Huawei may violate trade restrictions. Smartphone manufacturer Huawei recently started selling its Mate 60 Pro phone containing a chip that analysts believe was made with a technology breakthrough by Chinese chip foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (0981.HK). In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China "opposed the U.S. generalising the concept of national security". "Such discriminatory and unfair practices against Chinese companies undermine the principles of free trade and international economic and trade rules, and disrupt the stability of the global production and supply chain," she added. China and the United States are locked in an ongoing battle over semiconductor technology.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Mao Ning, Liz Lee, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Huawei, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, HK, The Commerce Department, . Commerce, U.S, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, United States, U.S, Washington

☆ China exported no germanium, gallium in Aug due to export curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s exports of germanium and gallium products in August plunged to zero，customs data showed on Wednesday, due to new export controls on the two chipmaking metals. There were also no exports of wrought gallium products in August. In July, China announced restrictions on the export of eight gallium and six germanium products starting Aug. 1, the latest salvo in an escalating war between Beijing and Washington over access to materials used in making high-tech microchips. Under the new rules, exporters of germanium and gallium products now need to obtain an export licence for dual-use items and technologies, meaning those with potential military and civilian applications. Chinese spot gallium prices slid last month as stocks piled up in the domestic market due to the export controls and subdued demand.

Persons: Florence Lo Organizations: REUTERS, Beijing, Shanghai Metals Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, Washington, Shanghai

☆ Auto strike could be speed bump for hard-driving US economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Dan Burns | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"While that amount is large in nominal dollar terms, it would not be large enough to tip the economy into recession. In the end, the impact of a such a strike would be modest compared to previous generations," Brusuelas said. Other economists offered comparable estimates of the potential drag from a prolonged strike by the Big Three's full union membership. A full-blown strike "could push U.S. payroll growth temporarily negative," Michael Pearce, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, wrote on Wednesday. Pearce also estimated a full strike lasting a month could cut U.S. auto output by nearly a third, much as it did during the 1998 strike.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Detroit's, Joe Brusuelas, Brusuelas, Michael Pearce, Pearce, Dan Burns, Deepa Babington Organizations: UAW, General Motors Detroit, Hamtramck, REUTERS, General Motors, Ford, United Auto Workers, RSM, Big, Federal Reserve, Oxford Economics, Labor, payrolls, Thomson Locations: Hamtramck , Michigan, U.S

☆ UAW strike could brake hard-driving US economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Dan Burns | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"UAW on strike" signs lean against a pile of wood on the picket line outside the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly in Hamtramck, Michigan, U.S. October 25, 2019. RSM estimates the U.S. economy would suffer a modest 0.2% drag to annualized growth of gross domestic product this quarter should the strike action last for a month, Brusuelas said. Other economists offered comparable estimates of the potential drag from a prolonged strike by the Big Three's full union membership. A full-blown strike "could push U.S. payroll growth temporarily negative," Michael Pearce, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, wrote on Wednesday. Pearce also estimated a full strike lasting a month could cut U.S. auto output by nearly a third, much as it did during the 1998 strike.

Persons: Rebecca Cook, Detroit's, Joe Brusuelas, Brusuelas, Michael Pearce, Pearce, Dan Burns, Deepa Babington, Diane Craft Organizations: UAW, General Motors Detroit, Hamtramck, REUTERS, General Motors, Ford, United Auto Workers, RSM, Big, Reuters, Federal Reserve, Oxford Economics, Labor, payrolls, Thomson Locations: Hamtramck , Michigan, U.S

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine. The move is part of a bigger package of measures hitting Russia with sanctions on more than 150 targets, including the country's largest carmaker. The U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on Denkar Ship Construction for providing ship repair services to previously designated vessels of a company connected to the Russian Defense Ministry. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on a major local copper producer - Russian Copper Company. The Treasury slapped sanctions on Finland-based logistics firms Siberica Oy and Luminor Oy, accusing them of sending a wide variety of electronics into Russia.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Jonathan Ernst, reconvenes, Wally Adeyemo, we've, Sanayi, Denkar, Ilker Dogruyol, Dogruyol, Tayyip Erdogan, Humeyra Pamuk, Daphne Psaledakis, Polina Devitt, Gleb Stolyarov, Don Durfee, Alexandra Hudson, William Maclean, Paul Simao Organizations: Cancer, White, REUTERS, Rights, Turkish, Ukraine, Reuters, NATO, Treasury, . Treasury Department, U.S . State Department, Denkar, Russian Defense Ministry, State Department, ID Ship Agency, GAZ Group, Russian Copper Company, Siberica, Luminor, U.S, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, United, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Russia, Moscow, Turkey, Washington, Ankara, Sweden, United States, Ukraine, Sea, Turkish, U.S, Finland, Kyiv, Hungary, London

☆ Senate Committee Backs Bill to Deepen U.S. Economic Ties With Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Alan Rappeport | More About Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States established diplomatic ties with China in 1979 and broke off formal relations with Taiwan. Since then, every U.S. administration has tried to maintain an ambiguous position on Taiwan based on the “One China” policy. Usually, U.S. administrations strike tax treaty agreements with other countries that are ratified by the Senate. The Biden administration has expressed support for ending double taxation with Taiwan. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said on Thursday that the legislation would help make those plans possible.

Persons: Biden, Ron Wyden Organizations: United, Senate, House, Lawmakers, Democrat, Finance Locations: States, Taiwan, United States, China, U.S, Oregon

☆ U.S. to sanction five Turkey-based firms over accusations of Russia support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin grimaces during his joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured), September 4,2023, in Sochi, Russia. Getty ImagesThe Biden administration is set to impose sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national on Thursday, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine, a senior Treasury official said. Multiple senior U.S. officials, including Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, have traveled to Turkey since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine as part of a pressure campaign to prevent any Turkish companies from helping Russia circumvent U.S. curbs. Wally Adeyemo, deputy U.S. Treasury secretary, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. "These designations reflect our ongoing commitment to target individuals and entities who provide material support to sanctioned entities," the official added.

Persons: Vladimir Putin grimaces, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Biden, reconvenes, Wally Adeyemo, Ting Shen, we've Organizations: Turkish, Getty, Treasury, NATO, U.S, Department of Justice, Washington , D.C, Bloomberg Locations: Sochi, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, Washington, Ankara, Sweden, United States, Sea, Washington ,, Turkish

The Pentagon has provided Patriot air defense systems and cajoled allies to provide S-300 air defense ammunition, both of which have proven effective. It has also provided other air defenses like the Avenger system and the Hawk air defense system. But Ukraine does not have enough air defense systems to cover the entire country, and must pick the sites it defends. Today, Russian officials have remade their economy to focus on defense production. As a result, military production has not only recovered but surged.

Persons: Russia’s Organizations: Pentagon Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, United States, Washington

☆ As Covid-19 Cases Tick Higher, Conspiracy Theorists Stoke New Fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Stuart A. Thompson | More About Stuart A. Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But to conspiracy theorists and right-wing influencers online, each uptick is an opportunity to sow fear and rile up their supporters, according to disinformation experts. “I would almost call it an obsession for the Covid denier, anti-vax community,” said Welton Chang, the co-founder and chief executive of Pyrra. “They just make mountains out of molehills for every little thing.”Misinformation about Covid-19 is as old as the virus itself. Much of it is about vaccines: One-third of Americans said they believed that the Covid-19 vaccines caused thousands of sudden deaths in otherwise healthy people, according to a survey published in August by the KFF, a nonprofit research group. While there is no link between Covid-19 vaccines and sudden deaths, conspiracy theorists have often circulated the idea as celebrities and athletes fall ill from unrelated causes.

Persons: ”, Welton Chang, “ Locations: Pyrra, Covid

☆ Biden, Modi discuss rail deal, democracy as U.S. press sidelined
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Nandita Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Biden and Modi last met in person in June when the Indian leader was the guest of a White House state visit. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined Friday's meeting, as did White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the White House said in a statement. Biden spoke to Modi about the importance of a healthy democracy, Campbell told reporters. Modi, of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has faced criticism about shrinking press freedom in India since he took office. His allies attacked the reporter afterward, in a targeted online harassment campaign that the White House later called "unacceptable" and "antithetical to the very principles of democracy."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Biden, We're, we've, Kurt Campbell, Campbell, Eileen Laubacher, Modi, amiably, Janet Yellen, Jake Sullivan, Subrahmanyam, Ajit Doval, Amit Dave, Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Grant McCool Organizations: Indian, U.S, U.S . National Security Council, South, U.S ., General Electric, Treasury, Friday's, White, REUTERS, World Bank, Biden, Bharatiya Janata Party, White House, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, India, East, Europe, U.S, South Asia, Washington, Delhi, China, Africa, Latin America, Asia, Vietnam, United States, American

☆ Western officials arrive in the UAE amid push to deprive Russia of advanced microchips
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The UAE has invested large sums in developing an artificial intelligence program and has a ministry dedicated to the technology. UAE ‘abides by UN sanctions’Russia is under a barrage of sanctions from the US and other Western nations following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Western officials have visited the UAE several times over the past two years to warn the regional business hub that helping Moscow evade sanctions wouldn’t be without consequences. The UAE central bank in March cancelled a license granted to Russia’s MTS Bank after it came under US and British sanctions. We look at BRICS from a geo-economic not a geo-political perspective, with the aim of strengthening our economic competitiveness,” a senior UAE official told CNN.

Persons: ”, AMD, “, Abu Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN — Senior, United, European Union, CNN, Street, UAE, Nvidia, Reuters, AMD, US Department of Commerce, Financial Times, UAE’s Technology Innovation Institute, UN, US, “, MTS Bank, Moscow, BRICS, UAE hasn’t, New Development Bank Locations: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Gulf, “, UAE, East, Saudi Arabia, Moscow, Iran, Washington, multipolarity, China, South Africa, BRICS

☆ Arm IPO: British chip designer targets valuation of $52 billion. Apple, Google and Nvidia show interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

That could rise to $5.2 billion if the banks underwriting the IPO exercise an option to buy additional shares from SoftBank. In 2020, SoftBank tried to offload Arm to Nvidia for $40 billion, in what would have been the biggest chip deal of all time. The company’s return to the public market is being closely watched as it promises to be the biggest US IPO since 2021. Arm made nearly $2.7 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ended March, according to its prospectus. SoftBank will continue to own approximately 90% of Arm’s shares following the listing, according to the filing.

Persons: SoftBank, Japan’s SoftBank, It’s Organizations: London CNN, Big Tech, Nasdaq, Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple, Google, Nvidia, AMD, Samsung, Intel, Vision, Porsche Locations: British, SoftBank, Cambridge, Frankfurt

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