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Iran has warned that it will respond with “stronger and more resolute” actions if Israel retaliates over this weekend’s strikes, according to Tehran’s ambassador to the United Nations. Biden will also meet with G7 leaders on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack,” according to a statement released by the White House. US defensive assets moved to the region earlier this week and “helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles,” according to the statement. US forces intercepted more than 70 one-way attack drones and at least 3 ballistic missiles Iran fired toward Israel, according to two US official familiar with the situation. US fighter jets were also part of the US’ response to Iran’s attack on Saturday and shot down drones launched towards Israel, another US official told CNN.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Iran –, “, ”, Biden, Netanyahu, Jordan, ” CNN’s Nic Robertson, –, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, IRNA, ” Israel, General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s, António Guterres, Josep Borrell, Rishi Sunak, Javier Milei, Manuel Adorni, CNN’s Paul Murphy Organizations: CNN, Israel, United Nations, Iran, White House, US Navy, US, Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s Defense, Foreign Ministry, UN, British Locations: Iran, Syria, Israel, Republic, Haifa, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Gaza, Damascus, Baghdad, Lebanese, Quds, East, Europe, America, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, China, Beijing, Chile, Mexico, Denmark

Israel’s military instead announced it was building a new crossing into northern Gaza and said an aid convoy used it for the first time on Friday. The military declined to specify the location of the crossing or the number of aid trucks. COGAT said 419 humanitarian aid trucks were inspected and transferred to Gaza on Monday, followed by 468 trucks on Tuesday – the highest one-day figure since the start of the war – and another 298 trucks on Wednesday. Aid shipments slated for Gaza are sniffed by a dog at the Kerem Shalom border crossing on March 14, 2024. Israel counts trucks arriving at their crossings for inspection and entry, while UN agencies count trucks inside Gaza that arrive for distribution, according to UN humanitarian affairs office (UNOCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN —, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Erez, Samantha Power, Jamie McGoldrick, McGoldrick, ” McGoldrick, “, Kerem Shalom, ” COGAT, COGAT, Jack Guez, Jens Laerke, Laerke, Antonio Guterres, Abu Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Israel, CNN, UN, Getty Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, United States, Israel, Ashdod, Kerem, AFP, Abu Salem, Rafah

☆ Fundamentals for the big banks are pretty strong, says BofA's Poonawala
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFundamentals for the big banks are pretty strong, says BofA's PoonawalaEbrahim Poonawala, Band of America Securities head of North American banks research, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss if he saw any concerns from bank earnings, what the bank stocks are reacting to, and more.

Persons: BofA's Poonawala Ebrahim Poonawala Organizations: of America Securities

☆ Here come JPMorgan's earnings. These are the key things traders are watching for in the report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The banking giant is expected to report earnings of $4.15 per share and $41.84 billion in revenue, according to LSEG. Many analysts also anticipate an upward revision to net interest income guidance, with the firm already forecasting $90 billion for the full year. Graseck views JPMorgan as one of the best-positioned stocks for upward net interest income revisions, also highlighting its significant excess capital relative to others within the firm's coverage. What else to watch If not during earnings, this upward guidance adjustment to net interest income could occur at JPMorgan's investor day in May, she said. Another key figure some analysts are watching is earnings from First Republic, which the company took over in May 2023 .

Persons: JPM, Piper Sandler's Scott Siefers, Morgan Stanley's Betsy Graseck, Graseck, Goldman Sachs, Richard Ramsden, America's Ebrahim Poonawala, Erika Najarian, NII, Wells, Mike Mayo, Ramsden Organizations: JPMorgan, Wall Street, Management, Bank, America's, First Locations: buybacks, First Republic, Republic

☆ Gaza aid efforts dealt major blow as Israel’s deadly attack on relief workers prompts withdrawal of agencies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

WCK and Anera, another aid group, have said they will pause operations in Gaza following the incident. Israel maintains there is no limit on the amount of food or humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza, but aid agencies accuse it of deliberately restricting deliveries. Shortly afterwards, American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), an NGO that delivers aid to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Jordan, also suspended its Gaza operations. Along with Turkey, the UAE is the biggest donor of aid to Gaza, according to COGAT, providing 25% of all aid from foreign nations. The fate of the extra aid WCK had planned for Gaza is also uncertain.

Persons: “, ” WCK, Jose Andres, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Juliette Touma, Ismael Abu Dayyah, WCK, Touma, Ghassan, ” Abu, Sittah, CNN’s Eleni Giokos, Anera, Barak Ravid, Nikos Christodoulides, Jamie McGoldrick Organizations: CNN, United Arab Emirates, Integrated, UN’s, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, UN, WCK, Reuters, Wednesday, UNRWA, Israel’s, CARE, ICRC, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, East Refugee, West Bank, Touma, UN agency’s Locations: Gaza, Cyprus, Israel, UAE, ”, East, Gaza’s, Deir al Balah, Cypriot, Larnaca, Territories, Egypt, Jordan, British, Palestinian, Gazan, Deir, American, Lebanon, Axois, Turkey, The Gulf, UNRWA, Palestinian Territory

Iran may now be compelled to respond despite its unwillingness to enter war with Israel and the United States. And it has increased such attacks since October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250, prompting a devastating Israeli war in Gaza. “That would mean that the Israeli attack on Iran has put a target on the backs of American troops in the Middle East,” he said. Washington has, however, tried to distance itself from Monday’s Israeli attack. Attack Israeli interests abroadAfter past attacks on Iran, Israel has often anticipated Iranian retaliation on its interests in foreign countries, and beefed up security at its embassies.

Persons: Donald Trump, Qassem, Israel hasn’t, ”, Daniel Hagari, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, ” Amir, Israel, CNN’s Paula Newton, Parsi, Biden, Israel Iran’s, Houthis, Sanam Vakil, Jalal Rashidi, Vakil, Omar Sanadiki, ” Vali Nasr, “, Farzan Organizations: CNN, Seven, Revolutionary Guards, Israel Defense Forces, Iran’s, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Islamic, US National Security, Israel, Hezbollah, Chatham House, State Department, Chatham, ” stoke, UN, Global Governance Locations: Iranian, Damascus, Baghdad, Iran, Israel, United States, Syria, Gaza, Quds, Swiss, Tehran, Washington ,, Iraq, Jordan, Washington, Islamic Republic, Lebanon, Iraqi, East, North Africa, London, Argentina, India, Georgia, Thailand, Jalal Rashidi Kochi, Azerbaijan, “, Chatham House, ”, Switzerland

☆ Iran Says the Deadly Israeli Strike in Damascus Will Not Go Unanswered
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Farnaz Fassihi | Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran said on Tuesday that Israel’s airstrikes on an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, which killed three top Iranian commanders, will not go unanswered. The strike, on part of the Iranian Embassy complex in Damascus, killed three generals in Iran’s Quds Force and four other officers, making it one of the deadliest attacks of the yearslong shadow war between Israel and Iran. Mr. Raisi said it was an “inhumane assault in brazen violation of international law,” in comments reported by Tasnim, a semiofficial news agency. He added that it will not go unanswered, but gave no details of how Iran might respond. Switzerland acts as the United States’ representative in the absence of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Tasnim, Hossein Amir Abdollahian Organizations: Government, Iranian Embassy, Iran’s Quds Force, United States ’ Locations: Iran, Damascus, Syria, Israel, Iranian, Iran’s Quds, Swiss, Washington, U.S, Switzerland, United States, Tehran

☆ Bank of America names its top picks for the second quarter, including this Big Tech name
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As the market begins a new quarter, Bank of America refreshed its list of top picks for the coming months. Here are some of the firm's top picks for the second quarter: Big Tech underperformer Alphabet is one of Bank of America's top 10 picks for the new quarter. The stock added just 8% in the first quarter of 2024 as a series of AI-related blunders bruised investor sentiment. SPOT YTD mountain Spotify shares in 2024 One of the financial stocks featured in Bank of America's top picks list was Citigroup . "A positive inflection in volumes should support low valuation and potentially drive rotation from other consumer staples sub-sectors (Beverages/Household Personal Care) as investors chase underperforming food names," wrote analyst Bryan Spillane.

Persons: Justin Post, Jessica Reif Ehrlich, Ebrahim Poonawala, Kraft Heinz, Bryan Spillane Organizations: Bank of America, Nasdaq, Bank of America's, Microsoft, Google, 2Q, Spotify, Citigroup, Assistance Locations: Thursday's

CNN —Israeli forces last week launched another military operation on Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, bringing the sprawling medical facility north of the enclave back into the spotlight. Here’s what we know:Why are the Israeli forces raiding Al-Shifa again? Palestinian residents leave the area with a few items after Israeli forces besiege the Al-Shifa hospital with tanks and heavy gunfire in Gaza City, Gaza on March 18, 2024. Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu/Getty ImagesResidents of the area around Al-Shifa told CNN there was heavy firing in the vicinity. Meanwhile a doctor who cared for patients trapped inside Al-Shifa told CNN he fears two severely malnourished siblings will not survive due to lack of care and medication.

Persons: Shifa, ”, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Israel, Dawoud Abo, –, Mohammad Al Shawwa, Al Shawwa, “, ” Al Shawwa, Al Shawwa’s, Dr Ali Alghaliz, Rafiq Dughmosh, Rafif Dughmosh, Alghaliz, Mahmoud, Rafiq, “ Rafiq, Dr Ali, ” Alghaliz, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ” Ghebreyesus, Jake Sullivan, Lloyd Austin, Jacquelyn Martin, ” Sullivan, Samantha Power Organizations: CNN, Israeli, Israel Defense Forces, Al, United Nations, IDF, Defense Ministry, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Shifa, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Getty, Islamic, Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, Aid, Health Organization, WHO, National, US, Pentagon, US Agency for International Development, USAID Locations: Al, Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, “, –, Anadolu, Al Ahli, Israel’s, Shifa, Rafah, ”

☆ The US allowed a Gaza ceasefire resolution to pass at the UN. What does that mean for the war?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Following several failed attempts over five months of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, the United Nations Security Council on Monday finally passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. Israeli officials lambasted the resolution, saying they have no intention of ceasing fire. Israel criticized the language of the resolution, saying it doesn’t firmly tie a ceasefire to the freeing of the hostages held in Gaza. Oren Ziv/AFP/Getty ImagesIs the resolution binding on Israel? After the resolution passed, US officials went to great lengths to say that the resolution isn’t binding.

Persons: doesn’t, ”, United Nations Gilad Erdan, Israel Katz, ” Katz, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Tzachi Hanegbi, Ron Dermer, Joe Biden, Gabriela Shalev, Louis Har, Oren Ziv, Matthew Miller, John Kirby, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Zhang Jun, Farhan Haq, VI, VII, Maya Ungar, ” Ungar, Yossi Mekelberg, ” Mekelberg, Ungar, ” Shalev, ” Biden, Dawoud Abu Alkas, Biden, Kamala Harris, Kirby, Yoav Gallant, Lloyd Austin, Shalev, Israel Organizations: CNN, United Nations Security, Hamas, United Nations, Council, Foreign, US, UN, Hebrew, Getty, State Department, White, National Security, Crisis Group, ICG, Chatham House, Security Council, Assembly, Reuters, Washington, Israel’s Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, Washington, Rafah, Israeli, Tel Aviv, UN, Brussels, East, North Africa, London, Al Shifa, Gaza City, Reuters Israel

☆ Buy these 10 bank stocks now before the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, according to Bank of America
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Plus, falling interest rates and continued economic growth would be tailwinds. The aforementioned catalysts are still in place — including interest rate cuts, as investors discovered a day earlier. Until then, the firm believes bank stocks can outperform into the first-quarter earnings season. 6 regional bank stocks worth buyingThe continued rally in financials will be powered in large part by regional banks, BofA believes. "We see the capital markets momentum continuing into 2025, which should drive investor interest in both stocks," Poonawala wrote.

Persons: Financials, Ebrahim Poonawala, Poonawala, BofA, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Charlie Scharf, Jamie Dimon Organizations: of America, Business, Federal Reserve, Investors, Bank of America, First Bancorp, FNB Corp, Truist, US Bancorp, Western Alliance, JPMorgan, Wall, titans Locations: financials, Wells Fargo

☆ Buy these five non-tech stocks that are well positioned for the long haul, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Shares of Nvidia are red hot, but Bank of America thinks there's a slew of other stocks that investors should consider. They include: Super Micro Computer, Kroger, Burlington, JPMorgan Chase and TJX Companies. Kroger Analyst Robert Ohmes said Kroger is firing on all cylinders even as grocery prices remain high. And like Kroger, share gains are aplenty as new store openings continue coming online. Given its turnaround momentum and ongoing favorable off-price retail fundamentals, Burlington is well positioned for outperformance, in our view."

Persons: there's, JPMorgan Chase, Robert Ohmes, Kroger, Ohmes, Lorraine Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Ebrahim Poonawala, Jamie Dimon, Poonawala, BofA, TJX, BURL Organizations: Nvidia, Bank of America, CNBC, Computer, Kroger, JPMorgan, TJX Companies, Burlington, JPMorgan Chase, Artificial Intelligence Locations: Burlington

☆ Netanyahu says he’s trying everything to get more aid to Gaza. Aid groups say that’s not true
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In his interview with CNN, Netanyahu made several claims about his country’s aid policy in Gaza. The Israeli leader’s claim contradicts statements he made previously, in which he boasted about permitting “minimal humanitarian aid” to enter Gaza. “We provide minimal humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said at a press conference in January. The first 15 days of March saw an average of 165 aid trucks per day cross into Gaza, UNRWA reported Sunday. The UN and other aid groups have reported some of their aid trucks had been looted, but haven’t ascribed any blame for it.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, CNN’s Dana Bash, Netanyahu, Israel, ” Netanyahu, ”, Yoav Gallant, “, “ I’ve, Janti Soeripto, – we’ve, Martin Griffiths, Long, haven’t, Sameh Shoukry, Netanyahu lauds, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel hasn’t Organizations: CNN, Israeli, United Nations, European Union, Children, ” Trucks, UN, Food Programme, Palestine, UNRWA, Amnesty International, Aid, Palestinian, CNN Sunday, Israeli Defense Force Locations: Gaza, United States, Territories, Rafah, Israel, Egypt, Arish, airdrops

☆ Aid is being shipped to Gaza by sea. But a new maritime corridor is unlikely to stop the looming famine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

With Palestinians in Gaza in dire need, any aid is welcome, but aid groups say maritime and air-dropped aid should be complementary to land deliveries, not a substitute. How do maritime aid deliveries compare to other methods? The US and other countries have meanwhile been air-dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, a method aid agencies have criticized as ineffective given the scale of need in Gaza. Mousa Salem/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Palestinians transport bags of flour on the back of trucks as humanitarian aid arrives in Gaza City on March 6. Omar Qattaa/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Humanitarian aid packages are dropped from the air by Jordanian army planes in Gaza City on March 1.

Persons: WCK, Israel, ”, Michael Fakhr, Jamie McGoldrick, ” WCK, Joe Biden, Mahmud Hams, Lior Haiat, “, COGAT, Menahem Kahana, McGoldrick, Josep Borrell, Ashraf Al, Qidra, Loay, Fadi, Kamal Adwan, Omar Qattaa, Saher, Ahmed Qannan, Mohammed Salem, Said Khatib, Dawoud Abo, Jehad, crouches, Abed Zagout, Yazan, Rabie Abu Noqaira, Mohammed Abed, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yasser Qudih, Fatima Shbair, ” Juliette Touma, ” Touma Organizations: CNN, Gaza, Spanish, European Commission, United Arab, Israel, Aid, UN, Pentagon, AFP, Getty, Crescent, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Foreign, European Union, Food Programme, Gaza Ministry, Health, Washington Post, Kamal, Anadolu Agency, Reuters, US Air Force, UPI, Dawoud Abo Alkas, Communications Locations: Cyprus, Gaza, United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Israel, Port, Rimal, Gaza City, UAE, Palestinian, AFP, Cypriot, Territories, Kerem, Rafah, Egypt, Mousa Salem, Jordanian

CNN —The first aid ship carrying much-needed food has reached the shoreline of central Gaza as part of new efforts to ease a humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave. Workers have been unpacking the 200 tons of food aid on smaller boats off the shore of the Gaza City neighborhood of Sheikh Ajleen, according to a journalist on the scene who works for CNN. The initiative is led by the non-profit World Central Kitchen (WCK) and the ship is run the Spanish charity Open Arms. The ship is carrying 500,000 meals that WCK will distribute in war-ravaged Gaza – where hundreds of thousands of the enclave’s 2 million people are on the brink of famine. This is the first batch of aid Gaza has received by sea since the war began, and is part of an international effort to step up relief to the besieged enclave.

Persons: Sheikh Ajleen, Khadr Al Organizations: CNN, Workers, Spanish, Gaza, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Sheikh, States, Israel, Wafa

☆ Rift between Biden and Netanyahu widens as Israeli leader vows to press on with Rafah operation
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“It is a red line, but I am never going to leave Israel,” Biden said. We’re not going to leave (Gaza),” Netanyahu said Sunday in an interview with German outlet Axel Springer. “You know, I have a red line. “It (Israel) cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead,” Biden told MSNBC Saturday. Asked about the moment, Biden told MSNBC the comment meant he intends to have a serious meeting soon with Netanyahu.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, Israel ”, Israel, “, ” Netanyahu, ” Biden, “ We’ll, We’re, Axel Springer, Kamala Harris, ”, Bibi –, Antony Blinken, Michael Bennett, Bibi Organizations: CNN, Israeli, MSNBC, Politico, Israel, Sunday, US, Gaza Ministry, Health, Michigan Democratic Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah

☆ The US is dropping aid into Gaza. Here’s why that will do little to ease a humanitarian crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The US has joined several other countries in airdropping aid into Gaza, which is grappling with a humanitarian crisis. But despite this advantage, aid agencies say their drawbacks overwhelmingly outweigh their benefits. “Humanitarian workers always complain that airdrops are good photo opportunities but a lousy way to deliver aid,” Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s UN Director said. Aid agencies have consistently said not enough aid is reaching Gaza. “When countries use airdrops and these maritime piers is usually if not always in situations when you want to deliver humanitarian aid into enemy territory.

Persons: We’ve, ” Richard Gowan, Michael Fakrhi, “, ” Fakrhi, John Kirby, ”, ” Kirby, Mahmoud Shalabi, Shalabi, Abdel Qader Al Sabbah, Kerem Shalom, Michael Fakhri, Israel, Dave Harden, ” Avril Benoît, CNN’s Louis Mian, Sana Noor Haq, Nadeen Ebrahim, Lauren Kent Organizations: CNN, UN, Food Programme, Islamic, “, Crisis, White, Medical Aid, Palestinian, Food, US Aid, Biden, MSF Locations: Gaza, warzones, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Iraq, Beit Lahia, Palestinian, Israel, Kerem, Rafah

CNN —The war in Sudan is “triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis,” with more than 25 million people “trapped in a spiral” of food insecurity, a United Nations agency has warned. The war, which has also created the world’s largest displacement crisis, according to the UN, has left 18 million people “acutely food insecure” in Sudan and millions more in neighboring South Sudan and Chad. “Twenty years ago, Darfur was the world’s largest hunger crisis, and the world rallied to respond. Nearly a year into a war that has sent Sudan to the verge of collapse, the vast majority of its people are going hungry, the UN's World Food Programme says. Armed transfers that must stop,” she said, remarking that the international community “is not doing nearly enough” to address the crisis.

Persons: “, ”, Cindy McCain, –, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, EBRAHIM HAMID, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Thomas Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Food Program, UN, Sudan’s Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, WFP “, WFP, Getty, Thomas, West Darfur “ Locations: Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Darfur, East, Sudan’s, Gedaref, AFP, West Darfur

☆ Iran announces record low election turnout despite calls on voters to participate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

It is unclear if the announced 41% turnout will sink further in the coming days, with some candidates in the parliamentary election going to a runoff. Iran’s last parliamentary election in 2020 saw a turnout of 42.57%, and its last presidential election in 2021 had a turnout of 48.8% – both were the lowest since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Some 15,000 candidates competed last week for the 290-seat parliamentary election, and 144 ran for the 88 seats of the Assembly of Experts. Some 25 million people cast their ballots out of Iran's 61 million eligible voters. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards air force commander, seemed to lose some votes, coming fourth in this year’s election after his popularity peaked in the 2020 parliamentary election.

Persons: IRNA, ”, Alex Vatanka, Mahsa, Iran’s, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Beris, Mohammad Khatami, Azar Mansouri, “, Khatami, Khamenei, ” Vatanka, watchdogs, –, Hassan Rouhani, Atta Kenare, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Ghalibaf’s, ” Sanam Vakil, Vakil, ” Vakil Organizations: CNN, Middle East Institute, “, Saturday, Experts, Getty, Iran’s Guardian, Revolutionary Guards, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Iran, Washington , DC, Fars, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Tehran, AFP, East, London

☆ Iran vote turnout hits historic low amid discontent
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Turnout for Iran's parliamentary election, seen as a test of the clerical establishment's legitimacy, appears to have hit an historic low of around 41%, according to unofficial reports quoted by state media on Saturday. Mohammad Khatami, Iran's first reformist president, was among critics who did not vote on Friday. State news agency IRNA said unofficial reports put turnout at more than 25 million, or about 41% of eligible voters. If the turnout figure is confirmed, it would be the lowest since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. Iran's turnout fell to 42.5% in 2020 parliamentary elections from about 62% in 2016.

Persons: Mohammad Khatami, Iran's, Narges Mohammadi, IRNA, Joe Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hassan Rouhani Organizations: Reuters, Iran's, Experts Locations: Tehran, State, United States, Israel, Ham Mihan

☆ ‘A show and propaganda:’ Iran braces for low-turnout election amid silenced dissent, tumbling economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“No, I will not vote,” a 23-year-old Iranian woman told CNN from Tehran. Authorities are nonetheless eager to bring people to the polls, trying to inspire a sense of duty and resistance among Iranians amid Israel’s war in Gaza. Pedestrians pass by a poster featuring Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic (right) and Ayatollah Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader (left) on February 24 in Tehran, Iran. Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty ImagesOther officials have directly cited the Gaza war to rally voters ahead of the polling day. An election poster for a female parliamentary candidate apparently plays on the 'Woman-Life-Freedom' protest slogan, replacing it with 'Woman-Wisdom-Greatness' in Isfahan, Iran on February 24.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mahsa, “, ”, Khamenei, ” Khamenei, Khomeini, Ayatollah Khamenei, Hossein Beris, Hamidreza, Alex Vatanka, Foad, ” Izadi, ISNA, Hassan Moslemi Naeini, Morteza, ” Iran’s, hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, Holly Dagres, Jamshid Jamshidi, –, Hassan Rouhani, ” Hengaw, Pedram Soltani Organizations: CNN, Experts, Authorities, Islamic, Getty, Middle East Institute, University of Tehran’s, World Studies, Center for Education, Culture, Research, Atlantic Council, University of Oxford, UN, CNN International, Iran’s Guardian, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Army Locations: Iran, Tehran, “, Gaza, Islamic Republic, Tehran Times, Washington , DC, Israel, Isfahan, Norway, Sanandaj, Jordan

CNN —Negotiations to release Russia’s opposition leader Alexey Navalny in a prisoner swap had reached their “final stage” just before his sudden death, a top aide to Navalny has said. “Navalny was supposed to be free in the coming days because we had achieved a decision on his exchange,” Pevchik said. Putin had recently signaled his interest in a prisoner exchange with the West involving Krasikov and Gershkovich. Pevchik claimed that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had served as “an informal negotiator” and delivered the prisoner swap proposal to Putin. Navalny’s body was returned to his mother on Saturday, more than a week after his death.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, ”, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Maria Pevchik, ” Pevchik, “, ” Navalny, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Dmitri Peskov, Ebrahim Noroozi, Matthew Miller, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Putin, Tucker Carlson “, Navalny “, Lyudmila Navalnaya, Pevchik, nodded understandingly, Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Abramovich, Navalnaya, Alexey, ” Peskov, ” Kira Yarmysh, Alexey ” Organizations: CNN, YouTube, CNN’s, State Department, Wall Street, Fox News, Kremlin, “ Locations: Russian, Germany, Chechen, Berlin, Russia, Krasikov, Siberia, Ukraine, “

☆ Iran has the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. Now it's sending them to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Iran presents its first hypersonic ballistic missile 'Fattah' (Conqueror) in an event attended by President Ebrahim Raisi and other government officials in Tehran, Iran on June 06, 2023. Reuters reported that Iran delivered at least 400 of its short-range Fateh-110 ballistic missiles to Russia in January of this year, and that figure is likely to rise. "It was always a matter of when, not if, Iran would transfer ballistic missiles to Russia," Behnam ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CNBC. Ballistic missiles will keep him in that fight for longer now." In 2022, U.S. Central Command estimated that Iran had over 3,000 ballistic missiles in its arsenal.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Vladimir Putin, Behnam ben Taleblu, Putin Organizations: Reuters, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, CNBC, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iran, Tehran, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan

CNN —Talks on a hostage and ceasefire deal for Gaza appear to be at an impasse. During the process, Israeli troops would gradually withdraw from Gaza, hostages would be released and Palestinian prisoners in Israel – including those serving life sentences – would be freed. The Israeli leader has repeatedly said that the war in Gaza will continue until Israel destroys Hamas’ leadership and rescues the hostages. Even as talks continue in Cairo, the Israeli military has been conducting operations in Gaza designed to hunt down top Hamas figures. The Israeli prime minister on Wednesday said that Hamas must change its negotiating position before talks can continue in Cairo.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bill Burns, David Barnea, Israel –, Said Khatib, ”, ’, –, Netanyahu, “, Matthew Miller, Ronen Zvulun, Shin Bet, Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu –, ” Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, “ We’re, we’re, Joe Biden, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, Israeli, Getty, “, US State Department, ’, IDF, State Department, The Washington Post Locations: Gaza, Cairo, Israel, Rafah, Paris, AFP, Qatar, “ Qatar, Doha, Aqsa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, “, Egypt, Albania, The Washington, Palestinian, United States

☆ Higher rates raising ‘downside risks’ for regional banks, warns Bank of America
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The danger of higher rates for longer following the latest hot inflation reading raises the "downside risk" for regional banks, according to Bank of America. "Fewer and later Fed rate cuts pose downside risk to bank stocks," analyst Ebrahim Poonawala wrote in a Tuesday note. "We are especially concerned about the failure of the broader market to project the trajectory of interest rates – a consistent theme since the Fed began raising interest rates in March 2022." "We worry about the risk from no rate cuts in 2024 and a far more elevated level of interest rates across the UST yield curve," Poonawala added. Net interest margin is the difference between the interest banks earn on loans and pay on deposits.

Persons: Ebrahim Poonawala, Poonawala, Goldman Sachs, BNY Mellon, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America, Federal, Treasury, Silicon Valley Bank, Fed, UST, Regional Banking, Regional Banking ETF, JPMorgan, BNY, U.S . Bancorp, First Bancorp Locations: Silicon, U.S, Puerto Rico

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