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☆ Pope Francis warns planet 'is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point' as he urges climate action
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vatican Pool | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesPope Francis issued a stark reminder about the effects of climate change on Wednesday, warning that "the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point." "Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident," the pope said in a letter titled Laudate Deum, or Praise God. Highlighting the impact of climate change on human lives, Francis said he now "realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point." COP28, fossil fuels and renewables Francis also touched on the upcoming COP28 climate change summit in the United Arab Emirates, which will kick off at the end of November. The UAE has been previously criticized for assuming the COP28 presidency, given its role as a large fossil fuel producer.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis Organizations: Getty, United Arab Emirates Locations: Vatican City, UAE, Persian

☆ Temasek units put new spin on SPAC pass the parcel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, Oct 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Convincing companies to list in Singapore, the tiny Asian financial hub, has long been a tall order. Hopes that special-purpose acquisition companies would be able to help looked ill-timed: three listed on the city-state’s exchange in January 2022, just as its stock market peaked and the appeal of blank-cheque firms was waning. The SPAC is sponsored by Vertex Venture Holdings, a venture-capital firm indirectly owned by Temasek. The SPAC maintains that Temasek is not involved in the business or operational decisions of any of these entities. Investment firms like Blackstone (BX.N)have offloaded portfolio companies to SPACs in the past – just not usually to ones they set up.

Persons: Antony Currie, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, Technology, Corp, Vertex Venture Holdings, Temasek . Companies, Temasek, Blackstone, Vertex Technology, Singapore Exchange, X, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan

The idea behind the Ryder Cup task force that was formed after the 2014 matches was to build some continuity among the U.S. teams. He had been an assistant four times in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. The key is to see whom Furyk, the 2018 Ryder Cup captain and now the Presidents Cup captain for 2024 in Montreal, selects as his assistants for next year. Former PGA champion David Toms was overlooked as a Ryder Cup captain, just like another PGA champion, Larry Nelson, was before him. DIVOTSRickie Fowler is one of four Americans to have been on a losing Ryder Cup team in Europe at least four times.

Persons: GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Luke Donald, Bernard Gallacher, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, LIV, Woods, Ben Hogan, Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, John Lindert, Don Rea, Seth Waugh, Steve Stricker, Davis Love, Fred Couples, Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink, Marco Simone, Matt Kuchar, David Duval, David Toms, Larry Nelson, Toms, he's, Max Homa, Brooks Koepka, ” Jordan Spieth, “, ” Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Kim, Yubin Jang, Wooyoung Cho, “ I've, Danny Oh, Rory McIlroy, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Arthur Blank, Steve Cohen, DIVOTS Rickie Fowler, Danny Willett, ”, LIV Golf, Louis Oosthuizen, Ludvig Aberg, Swede, ’, ___ Organizations: — Team, Bethpage, Bethpage Black, U.S, Ryder, PGA, FedEx, BMW PGA, South Korea, Asian Games, South, Games, Asian, Sports, SoFi Technologies, ESPN, Atlanta Falcons, New York Mets, SoFi, Ryder Cup, Dunhill, Sanderson, Texas Tech, PGA Tour University, Indiana, Italian Golf Federation Locations: Italy, Saudi, Adare Manor, Ireland, U.S, Montreal, Paris, Europe, England, France, Wentworth, South, China, Thailand, South Florida, Los Angeles, Atlanta , New York, Boston, Saudi Arabia, Mississippi

☆ Singapore SPAC Vertex Tech to buy streaming platform for up to $676 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 2 (Reuters) - Singapore's Vertex Technology Acquisition Corp (VTAC) (VERT.SI) will buy live streaming platform 17LIVE Inc for up to S$925.1 million (about $676 million), the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) backed by state investor Temasek said on Monday. The pro-forma equity value of the proposed deal will be up to S$1.16 billion, VTAC said. "We see 17LIVE as a company at its inflection point, backed by a strong management bench," VTAC Chief Executive Jiang Hong Hui said. VTAC will issue up to 160.6 million new shares at S$5.00 each and another 24.4 million new shares once certain financial targets are met. ($1 = 1.3682 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Adwitiya Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: VTAC, 17LIVE, Jiang Hong Hui, Adwitiya Srivastava, Savio D'Souza Organizations: Technology, Corp, Temasek, 17LIVE, Thomson Locations: Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Bengaluru

☆ SingTel to sell stake in Trustwave for $205 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view of Singtel's head office in Singapore May 12, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 2 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) on Monday said it entered into an agreement with MC2 Titanium, LLC to sell its stake in cyber security business Trustwave for $205 million. Southeast Asia's largest telecom firm began a strategic review of its 98% interest in Trustwave in 2021 after buying it for $770 million in 2015. The divestment comes after SingTel incurred an impairment charge of S$336 million ($245.92 million) on Trustwave in the second half of 2021. ($1 = 1.3663 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Nausheen Thusoo in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, SingTel, Nausheen, Lisa Shumaker, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Singapore Telecommunications, MC2, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Trustwave, Bengaluru

☆ KKR to acquire stake in SingTel's regional data centre unit for $807 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO A man looks out of the window under a Singtel signage at their head office in Singapore February 12, 2015. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 18 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) said on Monday private equity firm KKR (KKR.N) will acquire a 20% stake in the firm's regional data centre business with an investment commitment of up to S$1.1 billion ($806.87 million). The deal puts the enterprise value of SingTel’s overall regional data centre business at S$5.5 billion ($4.03 billion) and the funds will be used to expand the data centre's business across Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. The transaction is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023. ($1 = 1.3633 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, David Luboff, Navya Mittal, Muralikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Singapore Telecommunications, KKR, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Asia, Pacific, Bengaluru

☆ Morocco’s quake survivors must rebuild their homes and lives. But decimated communities can do little to help
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Atlas Mountains, Morocco CNN —Khadija Ait Si Ali was just starting to rebuild her life when the earthquake struck. He told CNN he was determined to rebuild a home for his family. He told CNN the financial assistance would be a significant help for people living in the mountains. Back in Tinzert, Khadija Ait Si Ali said that for now, she was just trying to focus on her baby and get through each day. Ait Si Ali said she felt lost with nobody to turn to.

Persons: Morocco CNN —, Ait Si Ali, “, ”, Amal Zniber, Amis Des Écoles, ” Zniber, Abdu Brahim, Hanan Ait Brahim, Ivana Kottasová, ” Hanan Ait, Hanan Ait, Abdelkarim Ait, Adil Akanour, ” Akanour, Akia, Akia Nayet, Fatme, CNN Mariam Maroi, Mariam Maroi, Brahim Organizations: Morocco CNN, CNN, Amis, Moroccan, United Nations Locations: Morocco, Tinzert, Tafeghaghte, Marrakech, Abdelkarim Ait Amkhaine’s, Ouirgane, Akanour, Asni, Turkey, Syria

☆ The global treasures in the running for UNESCO’s World Heritage status
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

This year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is reviewing nominations from both 2022 and 2023, with participants from across the world attending the session in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to examine almost 50 contenders. According to UNESCO, sites must be of “outstanding universal value” to be included on the World Heritage List. So far, the World Heritage Committee has inscribed approximately 1,157 sites in 167 different countries onto the World Heritage List. Seo Heun Kang/UNESCO World Heritage Nomination OfficeOnly those countries that sign the convention creating the World Heritage Committee and list are permitted to nominate sites. Gordion, the capital city of ancient Phrygia in Ankara, Turkey, is also nominated for a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Persons: John E, Seo Heun Kang, Bale, Gordion, Mustafa Ciftci, Midas, Morten Rasmussen, Sarah Langrand, Dominique Marck, Bani Ma’arid, Bani Ma'arid, Hamad Al Qahtani, Koh Ker, Mount Pelée, Canada Bale, Francesca Street Organizations: CNN, UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage, Heritage, World, Anadolu Agency, Danish Agency for Culture, Fine Arts Department, de Nîmes, National Center for Wildlife, Architectural Museum, Kazan Federal University, Khinalig, Tunisia ESMA Museum, Clandestine Center of Detention, Wooden Posts, Greece Historic Center of Guimarães Locations: Gaya, Denmark, Thai, Ohio, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Hancock, United States, Goryeong, South Korea, Addis Ababa, Phrygia, Turkey, Ankara, B.C.E, Madagascar, Si Thep, Thailand, Si, Nîmes, France, Gorokhovets, Russia, Vladimir Oblast, Erfurt, Germany, Cambodia, Khmer, Courland, Latvia, Kaunas, Lithuania, Ab’aj, Guatemala, India, Karakum, Tajikistan, Menorca, Spain, Ethiopia, Iran, Klondike, Canada, Czech, Odzala, Kokoua, Congo, Mount, Northern Martinique, Benin Ha Long, Ba Archipelago, Vietnam, Forests, Azerbaijan, Jericho, Palestinian Territories, Kazan, Tunisia, Argentina, Belgium, Suriname Royal, Netherlands, Anatolia, Bisesero, Rwanda, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Masouleh, Turan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Northern Apennines, Italy, Tajikistan Highlands, Mongolian, Mongolia, Greece, Portugal

SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (Reuters) - DBS Group (DBSM.SI) Chief Executive Piyush Gupta said current widespread pessimism about China's economy was not "overdone" but he was upbeat about India, where the bank plans to triple its business in the next five years. "There's some real headwinds in China in the short-term", he told a Reuters Newsmaker event in Singapore, noting the crisis in its debt-ridden property sector. DBS, Southeast Asia's largest bank by assets, aims to triple its business in India in the next five years, Gupta also said. The bank has been in India for nearly 30 years and operates about 530 branches in 19 Indian states, according to its website. Singapore has seen strong inflows from wealthy customers amid global uncertainty, including U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, due to the city-state's status as a financial safe-haven.

Persons: Piyush Gupta, Gupta, Yantoultra Ngui, Fanny Potkin, Scott Murdoch, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: DBS, Reuters, Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank, UBS Group's, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, India, China, Singapore, Shenzhen, Asia's, Asia, East, U.S

☆ Spain's ex-soccer boss Rubiales due in court in sex assault investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Emma Pinedo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It also sent a shudder through the male-dominated ranks of Spain's football establishment. Rubiales, 46, has maintained that the kiss was mutual and consensual. After weeks of resisting calls for him to step down as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), Rubiales, already suspended by FIFA, finally quit on Sept. 10. The RFEF has since sacked women's team coach Jorge Vilda, appointing his assistant Montse Tome instead as the first woman at its helm. Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Andrei Khalip and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Piers Morgan, Yolanda Diaz, chauvinsim, Marta Durantez Gil, Hermoso, Rubiales, Francisco de Jorge, De Jorge, Jorge Vilda, Montse Tome, Striker Olga Carmona, Emma Pinedo, Andrei Khalip, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Royal Spanish Football Federation, FIFA, High, Rubiales, TVE, government's, women's, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spanish, Sydney, British

RTX said on Monday it would have to pull 600 to 700 of its Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines from Airbus A320neo jets for quality inspections over the next three years. The engine issue was first disclosed in July, but RTX made the extent of the problem clearer on Monday. The announcement caused waves up and down the industry, from component manufacturers like Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries to airline carriers like Germany's Lufthansa that rely on the popular Airbus jets. In July, RTX said microscopic contaminants were found in a powdered metal used in high-pressure turbine discs that are part of the GTF engine's core. RTX is one of two manufacturers of engines for the popular narrowbody Airbus A320neo, the other being CFM International, a joint venture between GE (GE.N) and Safran (SAF.PA).

Persons: Benoit Tessier, RTX, Guillaume Faury, Ken Herbert, Japan's IHI, Safran, Valerie Insinna, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Abhijith, Aniruddha Ghosh, Mehr Bedi, David Gaffen, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Raytheon Technologies Corporation, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, Aerospace, Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, Washington D.C, Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Lufthansa, Raytheon, United Technologies, Capital, AIRLINES, HIT Aerospace, London, Melrose Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Aero, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Wizz, Airbus A320neo, CFM International, GE, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Washington, RTX, New Delhi, Bengaluru

☆ Olam Group denies reports of multi-billion dollar forex fraud in Nigeria, shares slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An Olam logo is pictured in their office in Singapore August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 11 (Reuters) - Singapore's Olam Group (OLAG.SI) on Monday denied reports by the Nigerian media last week, alleging that its units in the African country were involved in a multi-billion dollar foreign exchange fraud. The Daily Nigerian and Prime Business Africa reported that Nigeria's secret police was investigating the company's units Olam Nigeria and Olam International and their associate firms for a more than $50 billion foreign exchange fraud. "The company categorically denies the allegations in the Articles," Olam said in a statement, and said it has directed its audit committee to review the matter. The company said that its unit Olam Nigeria has responded to requests for information by Nigerian authorities and will continue to cooperate.

Persons: Edgar Su, Olam, Echha Jain, Sonia Cheema Organizations: REUTERS, Daily Nigerian, Prime Business Africa, Olam International, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Nigerian, Nigeria, Bengaluru

☆ Emmanuelle Béart, 'Mission: Impossible' star, reveals she was victim of incest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —French film actress Emmanuelle Béart has revealed that she was a victim of incest, continuing a national reckoning with child sexual abuse in France. Béart tells her story as part of the documentary, “Un silence si bruyant” (“Such a loud silence”), which she co-directed. Mikova went on to say that Béart did not want to name her abuser for “family reasons.”Beart played Claire Phelps in the film "Mission: Impossible" (1996). Let’s break the silence.”The issue of incest and child sexual abuse has come to fore in France in recent years after an accusation in a prominent family prompted a national reckoning. “Being subjected to personal attacks, and in an attempt to preserve the institutions in which I work, I terminate my functions,” Duhamel wrote on Twitter shortly after the accusations surfaced.

Persons: Emmanuelle Béart, Manon, Béart, Anastasia Mikova, –, Guy Béart –, Mikova, ” Beart, Claire Phelps, Murray, “, ”, ” Béart, Elle, Charlotte Caubel, Camille Kouchner, Olivier Duhamel, Duhamel, ” Duhamel, BFMTV Organizations: CNN, Sciences Po, Twitter, Reuters Locations: French, France, “, Socialist, Paris

☆ Singapore’s wealth boom hits most sensitive phase
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su Acquire Licensing RightsSINGAPORE, Sept 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Singapore’s wealth boom may be set for a pause. The amount involved has almost doubled and banks, realtors and jewellery dealers have been caught up in the ring. It is the most eye-catching saga since 2015 when Singapore’s banks were involved in the 1MDB Malaysian sovereign fund mess. As Singapore’s success as a financial centre grows, so too does its vulnerability to dirty money. A thornier problem is Singapore’s desire to avoid perceptions it is capitalising on the troubles of China, its top trade partner.

Persons: Edgar Su, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin, Pranav Kiran Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, realtors, DBS, Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Monetary Authority of, U.S, Police, Thomson Locations: Marina Bay, Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE, China, Malaysian, Hong Kong, Monetary Authority of Singapore

☆ China PMI: Factory activity contracts for fifth straight month. Demand for services is also slowing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Factory activity in China contracted for a fifth straight month in August, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more stimulus measures to bolster the faltering economy. It was the third straight month that the index had improved from the previous month, and was better than economists were expecting. The non-manufacturing PMI, which measures business activity in services and construction, stood at 51 this month, down from 51.5 in July, according to the NBS. “The PMI surveys suggest a slight improvement in economic activity in August,” wrote analysts from Capital Economics. Some of these moves may have started to bear fruit this month, analysts said.

Persons: ”, Si Wei, Robert Carnell Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Factory, government’s National Bureau of Statistics, PMI, NBS, Capital Economics, ING Group, Capital Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, —, Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, Asia, Pacific

☆ La evolución de Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Lulu Garcia-Navarro | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Algo en lo que me he centrado mucho más es en crear audiencias en lugares alternativos. Pero, incluso ahora, cuando se producen acontecimientos extraordinarios, como las catástrofes naturales en el estado de Nueva York, creo que es importante poder acceder a una plataforma de mensajería en la que la gente pueda confiar. Y habló de lo importante que es tener en el Congreso un número creciente de latinos interesados en la región. Pero dijo algo que me llamó la atención, y que hizo que me preguntara sobre este momento de su carrera. ¿Mover sus ideas a escala internacional, aunque puedan entrar en conflicto con la política exterior del líder de su propio partido?

☆ ¿No entiendes el diálogo de tu serie favorita? No estás solo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Brian X. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Al comienzo del programa, pensé que un actor había dicho: “Es cierto, ella tenía el anillo que le diste… pensé que ustedes dos estaban tratando de resolver sus problemas”. En realidad, el actor dijo: “Ay, lo siento, todavía llevabas el anillo puesto… pensé que ustedes dos estaban tratando de resolver sus problemas”. Tuve mejor suerte con otra escena en la que había una conversación telefónica donde Jack Ryan y su antiguo jefe hacían planes para reunirse. En conclusiónLa barra de sonido Sonos Arc fue útil para escuchar diálogos sin el potenciador de voz activado la mayor parte del tiempo en películas y series. Para todos los demás, la buena noticia es que instalar incluso un altavoz más barato que carezca de un modo para los diálogos puede ayudar mucho.

SummaryCompanies ATM, branch, card services restored -OCBCBank on standby to deploy additional resourcesLarger peer DBS faced 6.5-hour disruption in MayAug 28 (Reuters) - Singapore's second-biggest bank, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) (OCBC.SI), restored ATM, branch and card services on Monday after grappling with technical problems that disrupted various banking channels. OCBC, which is also Southeast Asia's second biggest lender by assets, had taken to its social media accounts earlier to warn of the issues that began at 8.33 a.m.Internet banking, mobile banking and Velocity arrangements were still affected, an OCBC spokesperson said in a response to Reuters. "We are on standby to deploy additional resources at branches and extend branch banking hours," the spokesperson added. "Our channels were impacted by a technical problem, affecting consumer and business banking customers." On May 5, the digital banking services of larger peer DBS (DBSM.SI) faced a 6-1/2-hour disruption.

Persons: Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Lavanya Ahire, Yantoultra Ngui, Kim Coghill, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: OCBC Bank, DBS, Chinese Banking Corp, Reuters, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Thomson Locations: Oversea, Bengaluru, Singapore

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Splunk, Peloton, Rivian, AMC & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Goldman Sachs reiterates Nvidia as buy Goldman said it's standing by it's buy rating after Nvidia's strong earnings report on Wednesday. Stifel upgrades Nvidia to buy from hold Stifel upgraded the stock after its strong earnings report Wednesday. Bank of America upgrades Williams-Sonoma to neutral from underperform Bank of America said that the downside scenario is now "off the table" for Williams-Sonoma. Bank of America downgrades Vizio to underperform from buy Bank of America double downgraded the stock on concerns about a weakening consumer. Bank of America downgrades Peloton to neutral from buy Bank of America said it sees "limited visibility on growth initiatives" for Peloton .

Persons: Needham, Rivian, it's, Oppenheimer, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Wedbush, Johnson, Splunk, Raymond James, Piper Sandler, Piper, Wolfe, Charles Schwab, Bernstein, Estee Lauder, Snowflake, Rosenblatt, Read Organizations: Nvidia, Center, Stifel, AMC, Bank of America, underperform Bank of America, Williams, Sonoma, Vizio, Johnson, Prudential, DFS, ADI Locations: CY2024, Williams, Sonoma, Snowflake

"The price of global rice prices is particularly worrying," Qingfeng Zhang, a senior director from the Asian Development Bank, told CNBC. Other than India, food inflation has been relatively tame in Asia so far this year. Underscoring how higher food prices erode purchasing power, ADB suggested at that time that a 10% rise in domestic food prices in developing Asia would push 64.4 million into poverty, based on the $1.25-a-day poverty line. Moreover, this spike in rice prices is happening amidst widespread lower food prices. watch nowThis means any spikes in food prices will only translate to food inflation toward the end of this year or early 2024.

Persons: Qingfeng Zhang, El Niño, Niño, Erica Tay, Tay, Tay . Rice, Xi Jinping, Morgan Stanley, Maybank Nomura, Sonal Varma, Si Ying Toh, Nomura, Paul Hughes, Hughes, Global's Hughes Organizations: Istock, Asian Development Bank, CNBC, ADB, United Nations, FAO, Tay . Locations: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Asia, India, Thailand, China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Tay, U.S, El, Australia, Pacific, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia

☆ SingTel Q1 profit slumps 23% on unfavourable currency move, high costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) reported on Monday a 23% decline in first-quarter net profit, citing the one-off impact at Bharti Airtel (BRTI.NS) in Nigeria as the naira depreciated sharply against the U.S. dollar, as well as high costs. Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), Southeast Asia's largest telecoms company, owns an effective 29.5% stake in India's Bharti Airtel. SingTel said in a statement net profit for the quarter ended June 30 was S$483 million ($355.91 million), compared with S$628 million a year earlier. On an underlying basis, net profit for the quarter gained 14.5% to S$571 million. SingTel also recorded a 2.7% decline in its first-quarter operating revenue to S$3.49 billion, hurt by currency exchange headwinds and competition.

Persons: Edgar Su, SingTel, Yuen Kuan, Sameer Manekar, Upasana Singh, Muralikumar Organizations: REUTERS, Singapore Telecommunications, Bharti Airtel, U.S ., Optus, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Nigeria, Nigerian, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ 8 of the world’s best new theme parks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Kate Springer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Peppa Pig Theme Park, FloridaFlorida's Peppa Pig Theme Park opened in 2022. Peppa Pig Theme ParkThe world’s first Peppa Pig Theme Park opened last year in Winter Haven, Florida, and has been delighting children with wholesome fun ever since. Look out for another Peppa Pig Theme Park, opening in Dallas, Texas, next year. Peppa Pig Theme Park. Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park, MalaysiaMalaysia's Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park offers 26 attractions across nine themed areas.

Persons: we’re, Katmandu, Kilgore Goode, Kyle Grillot, Peach’s, Mount Beanpole, Mario, Bowser, Bowser Jr, Tomohiro Ohsumi, Miyazaki’s, There’s, LEGOLAND, gil, Aquaverse, there’s, Chang, Potato’s, Grandad, Wynter, ” Organizations: CNN, Northern, Columbia Pictures, Super Nintendo, California Mario Kart, Universal Studios Hollywood, Bloomberg, Universal Studios Japan, Mushroom Kingdom, Toadstool, Nintendo, Universal City Plaza, Universal, Ghibli, Ghibli Park, South Korea LEGOLAND, LEGOLAND, Thailand Columbia Pictures, Columbia, Lotte, Adventure, South Korea Lotte, Adventure Busan Lotte, Tinker, Potato’s Showtime, Genting, Andromeda Base, Plaza, Genting SkyWorlds Locations: Japan, Thailand, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean, Nepal, Av, Alemania, California, Bowser’s, Mount, Universal City , CA, Nagoya, Nagakute, Aichi, Korea, South Korea, York, Legoland, LEGOLAND Korea, Chuncheon, Seoul, Gangwon, Asia, Pattaya, Bangkok, Transylvania, Chon, Adventure Busan, Tinker Falls, “ Queen, “, Busan, Florida, Winter Haven , Florida, Dallas , Texas, Wynter Haven , Florida, Malaysia, Resorts, Kuala Lumpur, Rio, Liberty Lane, Central Park, Genting, Genting Highlands, Pahang

☆ Can’t Hear the Dialogue in Your Streaming Show? You’re Not Alone.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Brian X. Chen | More About Brian X. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“What did he just say?”Those are some of the most commonly uttered words in my home. No matter how much my wife and I crank up the TV volume, the actors in streaming movies and shows are becoming increasingly difficult to understand. We usually end up turning on the subtitles, even though we aren’t hard of hearing. In the streaming era, as video consumption shifts from movie theaters toward content shrunk down for televisions, tablets and smartphones, making dialogue crisp and clear has become the entertainment world’s toughest technology challenge. “It’s getting worse,” said Si Lewis, who has run Hidden Connections, a home theater installation company in Alameda, Calif., for nearly 40 years.

Persons: We’re, —, “ It’s, ”, Si Lewis Locations: Alameda , Calif

☆ US bank Citi completes sale of Taiwan consumer unit to Singapore's DBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Citigroup Inc (Citi) logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File PhotoHONG KONG, Aug 14 (Reuters) - U.S. bank Citigroup (C.N) has completed the sale and migration of its Taiwan consumer businesses to Singapore's DBS Group (DBSM.SI), it said on Monday. The now transferred retail business includes retail banking, credit card, mortgage and unsecured lending businesses, as well as the transfer of close to 3,000 employees. The lender plans to complete the sale of the ninth consumer unit in Indonesia later this year. Citi, in a major strategy shift, has said it plans to exit consumer banking across 14 markets globally.

Persons: Chris Helgren, HONG KONG, Selena Li, Tom Hogue Organizations: Citigroup Inc, Citi, REUTERS, Citigroup, Singapore's DBS, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, HONG, Taiwan, Australia, Bahrain, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia

☆ How ESPN's $2 billion deal with Penn Entertainment could shake up sports betting, from reinvigorating competition to evolving media's relationship with gambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Margaret Fleming | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Many view the deal as a "win-win" for ESPN, Penn, and its former partner Barstool Sports. Industry insiders say the deal could signal a potential ESPN spinoff, disrupt competition, and more. Here's what industry insiders are saying about the deal:1. FanDuel and DraftKings dominate US online sports-betting and gambling market share, followed by BetMGM, according to a July report from Macquarie that analyzed Vixio data. Industry insiders like affiliate-marketing company Gambling.com Group's Max Bichsel aren't sure about that prediction.

Persons: Barstool, Bob Iger, Penn, sportsbooks, who's, Chris Grove, Dave Portnoy, Portnoy, Fox's, Sharp, Sharp Alpha Advisor's Lloyd Danzig, Dan, Danzig, Brandon Nispel, he's, Nispel, Kimberly White, FanDuel, BetMGM, Zachary, Max Bichsel aren't, Bichsel, I'm, Grove, It's, DraftKings, let's, FuboTV, hasn't, Fox Bet, Ed Moed, Fox, Dan Wasiolek, Wasiolek Organizations: ESPN, Penn Entertainment, Penn, Barstool Sports . Industry, ESPN Bet, Investors, Acies Investments, Barstool Sports, Sharp Alpha, Disney, KeyBanc, CFRA Research, . Industry, ESPN —, Fox, Maxim Magazine, Sports, Fox Bet, Morningstar Locations: Macquarie, Canada

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