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☆ Inflation in Beijing: Chinese capital gives cash handout to low-income households to offset rising food prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Beijing will give out a $6 monthly cash subsidy to low-income residents to cushion the impact of rising food prices, a move that has unexpectedly angered many online who say the amount is far too low. The demonstrations were the latest outburst of public discontent since mass protests against Covid curbs gripped the country late last year. “In January, food prices in Beijing rose by 6.6%, meeting the conditions for starting the price-linked subsidy program,” the state-run Beijing Daily newspaper quoted an official from the commission as saying in a Friday report. Although the headline figure remains relatively low compared to other countries, food prices jumped 6.2%, with pork and fruit prices rising the most. In Beijing, food prices outpaced the national level.

☆ Russian envoy: U.S. seeks to inflame Ukraine crisis with claims of crimes against humanity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Lidia Kelly | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Washington is trying to demonize Moscow and foment the crisis in Ukraine with allegations of Russian crimes against humanity, Russia's ambassador to the United States said on Sunday. The Biden administration formally concluded that Russia has committed "crimes against humanity" during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday. Organisations supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development have documented more than 30,000 war crimes incidents since the invasion, according to the U.S. government. The U.N.-backed Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine says it has identified war crimes but has not concluded whether they amount to crimes against humanity. The war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions, pummelled the global economy and made Russian President Vladimir Putin a pariah in the West.

☆ U.S. declares Russia committed 'crimes against humanity' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Biden administration formally concluded that Russia has committed "crimes against humanity" during its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday. The U.N.-backed Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has not yet concluded that the war crimes it says it has identified amount to crimes against humanity. Russia, which says it is conducting a "special military operation" in Ukraine to eliminate threats to its security and protect Russian-speakers, has denied intentionally targeting civilians or committing war crimes. The Biden administration has sought to bring alleged war criminals to justice, including training Ukrainian investigators, imposing sanctions, blocking visas and hiking penalties under U.S. war crimes laws. Kyiv has been pushing for a new international war crimes organization to focus on the Russian invasion, which Moscow has opposed.

☆ China's top diplomat reiterates calls for dialogue over Ukraine crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 18 (Reuters) - China has "neither stood by idly nor thrown fuel on the fire" regarding the crisis in Ukraine, and continues to call for peace and dialogue, top diplomat Wang Yi said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. China will set out its position on settling the Ukraine crisis in a document that will state all countries' territorial integrity must be respected, Wang said. Asked to reassure the audience that military escalation was not imminent over the Taiwan Strait, Wang said Taiwan "independence forces" are incompatible with peace. "If we want to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, we must resolutely oppose Taiwan independence, and we must resolutely maintain the one-China policy." Reporting by David Kirton in Shenzhen, China, Ryan Woo in Beijing and Laura Lin in Shanghai; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. handling of balloon incident 'hysterical', says China's top diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 18 (Reuters) - China's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Saturday that the U.S. handling of the balloon incident had been "unimaginable" and "hysterical" - an "absurd" act that had violated international norms. The incident, which had prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit early this month to Beijing, has further aggravated already strained relations between Washington and Beijing. "We ask the U.S. to show its sincerity and correct its mistakes, face up and resolve this incident, which has damaged Sino-U.S. relations," he said. "We hope the U.S. could pursue a pragmatic and positive policy towards China, and work with China to push Sino-U.S. relations back to the track of healthy development." Reporting by Ryan Woo in Beijing; editing by Jason Neely and Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dozens of employees at a Tesla factory in upstate New York have been fired just days after launching a union campaign, organizers alleged Thursday. In a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, Workers United said Tesla fired more than 30 workers from its Autopilot unit at a Buffalo plant as a retaliatory measure and to discourage union activity. Employees at the Buffalo facility on Tuesday launched organizing efforts under the union Tesla Workers United. Workers received an email Wednesday evening laying out a new policy that prohibits them from recording workplace meetings without the permission of all participants, Tesla Workers United said in a release Thursday. In 2017, Tesla fired a union activist named Richard Ortiz, and in 2018, Musk tweeted a comment found to have violated federal labor laws.

☆ Euro zone inflation could fall faster than thought, ECB's De Cos says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation could fall faster than earlier thought given a host of positive developments in recent months but past price hikes and a tight labour market could still exert upward pressure on underlying prices in the near term, European Central Bank policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Wednesday. "Recent data on euro area inflation and some of its key determinants are somewhat encouraging, but the overall situation still requires caution", De Cos said in a speech posted on the webpage of the Bank of Spain. He also mentioned the possible effects of the Chinese reopening, the resilience of the euro area economy and the transmission of ECB monetary policy decisions. "All these will have to be assessed as part of the full projections exercise under way in the run-up to our March meeting," De Cos said. Reporting by Jesús Aguado; Editing by Balazs KoranyiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

It would be the third defamation trial against Jones and his company Free Speech Systems, after two previous ones found Jones and FSS liable for a combined $1.5 billion in damages. A Texas court previously found them liable and the proposed trial would determine how much Jones owes the parents. He estimated a two-week trial would cost $600,000, reducing the amount of money available to pay Pozner, De La Rosa and other Sandy Hook parents with legal claims against him. Jones filed for personal bankruptcy in December after those two trials concluded, saying he could afford to pay less than 1% of the Sandy Hook defamation judgments. Sandy Hook parents raised concerns at Tuesday's hearing about Jones's recent recording of a podcast similar to his Alex Jones Show in a new studio space and under a brand not affiliated with FSS.

☆ Financial investor buying up to 9% of Italian asset manager Anima
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An investor document seen by Reuters showed Mediobanca, which did not name the investor, was buying Anima shares through an accelerated reverse bookbuilding at 4.35 euros a share. At the top of the targeted range, the investment would total 135.7 million euros ($145.7 million) while the minimum stake would cost the buyer 105.7 million euros, Reuters calculations showed. The investor is Italian and is neither a bank nor an insurance firm, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Anima is Italy's biggest independent asset manager and has often been seen as a potential takeover target. Last year, French asset manager Amundi (AMUN.PA) emerged as the third-biggest investor in Anima with a 5.2% stake.

[1/2] The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Illustration/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. firm Epic Games is challenging Google in an Indian tribunal for not complying with some portions of an antitrust directive, alleging that the tech giant is not hosting the gaming company's app store on Google's Play Store app. Maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", Epic operates its own app store, Epic Games Store, that offers games and other apps for download. The company claims in the filing it is "exploring launching" the Games Store app on Google Play Store and has been "adversely affected" by Google not complying with the CCI order. Epic is known for campaigns against Apple (AAPL.O) and Google for charging high app store commissions.

☆ Here are 15 mental health startups set to defy the funding slowdown and excel in 2023, according to venture capitalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Europe's mental health startups raised a record $1.4 billion in 2021 but investment slumped last year. We asked 9 of Europe's top mental health VCs to name the startups to watch in 2023. Startups tackling issues around mental health have been far from immune to the global slowdown in tech funding. Insider asked nine European venture capitalists to pick out mental health startups that will excel throughout 2023 despite the overarching slowdown in funding. Here are 15 European mental health startups to watch in 2023, according to some of the region's top investors.

☆ After a bumper run, analysts say these 3 oil and gas stocks are set for another 50% rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The oil and gas sector provided investors stellar returns in 2022 when the rest of the market failed to perform. The S & P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Index was up 45% last year. Analysts and fund managers say several key factors may push up oil prices in the near future. Earthstone Energy Shares of Earthstone , a Texas-headquartered independent oil and gas company, are expected to go up by 85.8% by analysts over the next year. Meanwhile, the benchmark S & P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Index has risen by 3% over the same period.

☆ China's top diplomat to attend Munich Security Conference, visit Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Feb 13 (Reuters) - China's top diplomat Wang Yi will attend the Munich Security Conference this month and plans to visit several countries including Russia, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday. Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will also visit France, Italy and Hungary this month, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing. The 59th Munich Security Conference will be held over Feb. 17-19, with several global leaders attending, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. (This story has been refiled to correct to Wang on second reference in paragraph 2)Reporting by Martin Pollard; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Paxos ordered to cease minting Binance stablecoin by New York regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Cryptocurrency firm Paxos will cease issuing new Binance USD, or BUSD , stablecoins under the direction of New York state's financial regulator, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said Monday. "We were informed by Paxos they have been directed to cease minting new BUSD by the New York Department of Financial Services," Zhao said on Twitter. Paxos' BUSD product is related to, but separate from, Binance's self-issued Binance-pegged BUSD. "The Department has not authorized Binance-Peg BUSD on any blockchain, and Binance-Peg BUSD is not issued by Paxos," NYDFS said. Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission settled with crypto exchange Kraken over allegations of unregistered offering and sale, in connection with Kraken's crypto staking platform.

☆ IOC not on wrong side of history over Russia, says Bach
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said his organisation is not on the wrong side of history after opening the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in next year's Summer Games in Paris. Athletes from Russia and its neighbour Belarus have been banned from many international competitions in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago. In a letter to Bach last week, Ukrainian athletes said the IOC was "on the wrong side of history" after Bach had urged Ukraine to drop threats of a boycott. When asked if the IOC was on the wrong side of history, Bach told reporters on Sunday: "No, history will show who is doing more for peace. Bach, speaking at the Alpine skiing world championships in Courchevel, France, said the IOC stood in "solidarity" with Ukraine's athletes.

☆ The ChatGPT AI hype cycle is peaking, but even tech skeptics don't expect a bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Even the skeptics of the latest hype cycle recounted during the Town Hall numerous examples of how AI is already embedded in more efficient business processes. The arrival of ChatGPT and generative AI only a few years after the hype cycle over the metaverse has attracted both the AI bulls and bears as tech pursues its next big thing. Another executive who works with lawyers and accountants said the sentiment right now is that AI is not to replace lawyers, but "lawyers using AI are gonna replace lawyers." And what generative AI does, is really help you crunch, take your machine learning to, you know, the 'nth' level of the finite level. That may also place AI in the crosshairs of ESG investors, making sure that the ethics part is part of the mission of companies using it.

☆ Secretive Society Keeps Watch Over Arizona’s Holy Grail of Cactus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Eliza Collins | Photographs Ash Ponders For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PIMA COUNTY, Ariz.—Millions of saguaro cactuses grow in the Sonoran Desert, yet only an estimated one in 200,000 exhibits the spectacular crown of the crested saguaro. Its rare beauty spawned the needle-in-a-haystack mission of Arizona’s secretive Crested Saguaro Society. With the zeal of birders, the society’s 10 members are out to find as many of the crested saguaro as time and energy allow. They hunt in a desert that stretches across 100,000 or so square miles.

London CNN —South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a national state of disaster in response to the country’s drawn-out energy crisis, calling it “an existential threat” to Africa’s most developed economy. Blackouts in South Africa — or load-shedding as they’re known locally — have been lasting for as long as 12 hours a day. Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesRamaphosa said Thursday that the national state of disaster would begin with immediate effect. Eskom has very little backup power, which makes it difficult to take units offline to perform crucial maintenance work. Years of mismanagement and systematic corruption are believed to be the key reasons why Eskom has been unable to keep the lights on.

☆ Alec Baldwin attorneys seek to reduce possible penalty in Rust movie set manslaughter case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Actor Alec Baldwin departs his home, as he will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust", in New York, January 31, 2023. Alec Baldwin's attorneys filed a motion Friday arguing New Mexico prosecutors have wrongly charged the actor under a statue that doesn't apply to his case — and which carries a mandatory five-year jail sentence. If the case ends up going to trial, jurors would have to decide which involuntary manslaughter charge Baldwin is guilty of, if either. "The prosecutors in this case have committed an unconstitutional and elementary legal error by charging Mr. Baldwin under a statute that did not exist on the date of the accident," Baldwin's attorneys wrote in the motion. Baldwin's attorneys argue the new version of the statute cannot apply to conduct that occurred before it was enacted and called retroactively applying the enhancement "flagrantly unconstitutional."

☆ Mercedez-Benz faces over 300,000 UK claims over diesel emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) faces more than 300,000 claims at London’s High Court from the owners of diesel vehicles that were allegedly equipped with “defeat devices” to cheat emissions tests. The German carmaker is said to have misled customers about certain diesel vehicles’ compliance with nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions standards. Mercedes-Benz denies that any defeat devices, which can change vehicles’ emissions levels, were installed in its vehicles. Oliver Campbell, representing the claimants, said in court documents that certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles contained technology designed to lower NOx emissions, but that only worked properly at particular temperatures. However, lawyers representing Mercedes-Benz denied its vehicles contained defeat devices, saying there was no reduction in the effectiveness of their emissions control systems.

"The company has received a proposal from the JIP consortium," Toshiba said in a statement. Two of the sources said major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), had issued letters of commitment to provide 1.4 trillion yen ($10.6 billion) in loans to the group. The final buyout proposal would also include an equity portion of about 1 trillion yen, they said. The Nikkei business daily reported the total value of the buyout proposal was around 2 trillion yen. JIP was then asked by Toshiba to provide commitment letters from banks by Nov. 7, something it was unable to do.

Major Japanese banks, including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T), had issued letters of commitment to provide the loans to the JIP-led group, said two of the sources, who declined to be identified because the information has not been made public. The 1.4 trillion yen of loans included a commitment line of 200 billion yen for working capital, the sources said. The final buyout proposal would also include an equity portion of about 1 trillion yen, they said. The Nikkei business daily reported a final buyout proposal worth around 2 trillion yen. The banks asked Toshiba to promise the sale of underperforming businesses if earnings deteriorated after a buyout was concluded, sources, including those who spoke on Thursday, have previously said.

☆ French Senate to open commission of inquiry into TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 9 (Reuters) - The French Senate will open a commission of inquiry into Chinese social media company TikTok to look into its use and strategy of influence, according to a statement from senator Claude Malhuret's office. The commission of inquiry will aim to shed light on whether TikTok promotes certain content in some parts of the world, excluding China, in order to undermine its foreign users or not, according to Claude Malhuret, the lead senator on the topic. It will also look into the platform's obligations in terms of protecting personal data. The commission, approved last night by a conference of the presidents of political groups in the Senate, will start working from March 1 with 19 members of the Senate. Reporting by Marine Strauss, Blandine Henault; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Benoit Van OverstraetenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Humans need to be 'unquestionably' in charge of powerful AI to keep things from getting out of control, Microsoft CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said "powerful" AI models need to be used where humans are in charge. Nadella told CBS Mornings that new AI models need to be "more safe" and "more explainable" first. In an interview with CBS Mornings, Nadella said that these powerful AI models need to be used in a way "where humans are unambiguously, unquestionably" in charge to keep them from going out of control. Before thinking about safety and alignment, Nadella said people need to think about what AI is being used for. "The first set of categories in which we should use these powerful models are where humans unambiguously, unquestionably, are in charge," Nadella said.

☆ Italian prosecutors drop Congo case against Eni CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Milan prosecutors do not plan to pursue a case against the head of Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) over oil permits granted in Congo Republic, they said on Wednesday. The magistrates formally requested the dismissal of a charge against Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi for alleged failure to declare a conflict of interest. They also asked that charges of alleged undue inducement be dropped against Descalzi's wife, Marie Madeleine Ingoba, and six other people including former Eni executives. "Eni CEO's non-involvement in the allegations made long ago by the public prosecutor is now confirmed," the company added. Eni has said it had no role in the allocation of licences or in the Congo Republic government's choice of local partner.

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