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☆ Smartmatic Executives Charged With Bribery of Philippine Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Katie Robertson | More About Katie Robertson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Justice Department on Thursday charged three current and former executives at Smartmatic, the voting technology company, with taking part in a bribery scheme in the Philippines. In the indictment, which was released publicly on Friday, prosecutors said that from 2015 to 2018, Smartmatic’s president and co-founder, Roger Piñate, and other executives funneled “at least $1 million in bribes” to Juan Andres Bautista, the former chairman of the Philippine elections commission, so that their company could obtain and keep a contract providing voting machines and election services for the 2016 Philippine elections. A Smartmatic spokesman said in a statement that two of the people charged remain at the company, including Mr. Piñate, and each has been placed on a leave of absence, though he noted that “our accused employees remain innocent until proven guilty.”“No voter fraud has been alleged, and Smartmatic is not indicted,” the spokesman said. “Still, voters worldwide must be assured that the elections they participate in are conducted with the utmost integrity and transparency.”

Persons: Roger Piñate, ”, Juan Andres Bautista, Piñate, “ Organizations: Department, Smartmatic Locations: Philippines, Philippine

☆ Everyone from Starbucks to Chinese giants wants in on the boba tea craze. Meet the family who says they started it all.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Chun Shui Tang founder Liu Han-chieh and managing director Angela Liu at one of their company's teahouses in Taichung. Chun Shui Tang's executives appear unperturbed by the many shapes and forms boba tea takes these days — Heinz ketchup boba tea, anyone? AdvertisementIn 2008, Chun Shui Tang introduced a boba tea hot pot with a savory tea-infused broth. Huileng Tan/Business InsiderChun Shui Tang OG shop in Taichung is a tourist hotspotToday, Liu's OG Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung is on many tourists' checklists. Chun Shui Tang founder Liu said he isn't worried about the competition, because the market is big enough for everyone.

Persons: —, Chui, Chui Shui Tang, Chun Shui Tang, Liu Han, Liu, It's, Lin Hsiu, Chun, Huileng Tan, Lin, Angela —, doesn't, he's, Tang, He's, boba, Tu, Liu's, Angela, Chun Shui, Angela Liu, Heinz, they've, Liu wasn't, Mark Anthony Villones, Villones, Filippino Mark Anthony Villones, Kayne Sy, China Chun Shui Tang, Jason Yu, Kantar, Aly Song, Yu, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Chun Shui, Starbucks, Purdue University, Chun Shui Tang, Liu's, BI Locations: Chui Shui, Taiwan, Taichung, Japan, Tainan, China, Huileng, —, Philippines, Central China, Hong Kong

☆ He won gold for the Philippines. Then the gifts started pouring in — including a $600,000 condo and a lifetime supply of ramen.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( Erin Liam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

These freebies are in addition to the Philippine House of Representatives' cash incentive of 3 million Philippine pesos granted to all gold medalists. In the US, gold medalists take home $37,500. Hong Kong — which offers the highest bonus — awards 6 million Hong Kong dollars, or about $768,000, to its gold medalists, per CNBC. AdvertisementCorrection: August 7, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misdescribed Hong Kong. It's 6 million Hong Kong dollars, not 600,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Persons: —, Carlos Yulo, freebies, Yulo, Megaworld, Virgil Lo, Bucket, Marcus Luer, Luer, James Crane, Buchwald, Joseph Schooling, Nestlé's Milo, Yakult, Hugo Boss, it's Organizations: Service, Olympics, Paris, McKinley, Business, Apollo Home Depot, Philippine, Hong, CNBC, Total Sports Asia, Olympic Games Locations: Megaworld, Taguig, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, China

☆ The Philippines' first male athlete to win Olympic gold prompts outpouring of #PinoyPride
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

With every tumble, handspring and stuck landing at the Paris Olympics, trailblazing two-time gold medal gymnast Carlos Yulo of Team Philippines ignited a wave of Filipino pride. The 24-year-old cemented his legendary status after he took the top spot in the men’s floor and vault events, making him the first male athlete in the Philippines history to win a gold medal. The wins made Yulo the second person ever to take home gold for the Philippines after weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won the women’s 55-kilogram event in 2021 at the Tokyo Games. He also accounts for the totality of the Philippines’ medal count this year. “It’s also not seen as much of a priority … For a lot of people in countries like the Philippines, it’s about survival.

Persons: trailblazing, Carlos Yulo, They’ve, Yulo, Artem Dolgopyat, Armenia’s Artur Davtyan, Harry Hepworth, Hidilyn Diaz, Lionel Bonaventure, Suni Lee, ”, Diaz, “, ” Diaz, James Zarsadiaz, Zarsadiaz, “ It’s, Yulo’s Organizations: Paris, Team Philippines, Tokyo Games, Getty, Bercy Arena, USA, Philippine Studies, University of San, NBC News Locations: Philippines, Israel, AFP, University of San Francisco, Tokyo

☆ Newly discovered fossils shed light on origins of curious ‘hobbit’ humans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

An analysis of newly described Homo floresiensis fossils published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications attempts to answer some of these questions about the tiny human. Liang Bua cave is the only other place where hobbit fossils have been found. The Mata Menge humerus fragment (left) is shown at the same scale as the humerus of Homo floresiensis from Liang Bua. Overall, the research suggested that the hobbit species’ small size remained remarkably constant over a long period. “Every tiny fragment of Homo floresiensis or any other hominin is incredibly important,” Tocheri said.

Persons: floresiensis, —, Mata Menge, Flores Gerrit van den Bergh, ”, Yousuke Kaifu, Liang, Liang Bua, Yousuke, hominins, luzonensis, erectus, Gerrit van den Bergh, wristbones, habilis, Matt Tocheri, wasn’t, Flores, Tocheri, Van den Bergh, van den Bergh, hominin, ” Tocheri Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Tokyo, Archaeological Science, University of Wollongong, Lakehead University, Smithsonian Locations: Indonesian, Flores, Africa, Java, Asia, Mata, South Africa, Philippines, Australia, Canada, Ontario

☆ Taiwan under pressure to bolster its defense as Trump-Harris presidential race stokes policy concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te claps while he visits a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan May 23, 2024. While Biden has, on several occasions, stated the U.S. would come to Taiwan's defense, Trump has opted for "strategic ambiguity," Naggy added. According to analysts, she is expected to remain somewhat consistent with Biden's agenda and foreign policy. As vice president, Harris has expressed support for Taiwan and met with the island's new leader, Lai Ching-te, in 2022. However, she would come into office with significantly less foreign policy experience than President Biden.

Persons: Lai Ching, Ann Wang, Lin Chia, Donald Trump, Trump, Trump's, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden, Stephen Naggy, Naggy, Xi Jinping, Lu, Chung Weng, Muhammad Faizal, Richard Heydarian, Harris, Tina Fordham, CNBC's, Dewardric McNeal, McNeal, Lai, Ava Shen, Tsai Ing Organizations: Reuters, International Christian University, Sam Houston State University, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Trump, CNBC, University of the, Fordham Global Foresight, Longview Global, Biden, Eurasia Group, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: Taiwan, Taoyuan, Reuters Taiwan, China, Taipei, Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Singapore, University of the Philippines, Beijing, Washington

☆ 24-year-old gold medal gymnast from the Philippines to be awarded a condo valued at $414,046, cash prizes and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Philippines gymnast Carlos E. Yulo didn't just win a gold medal at this summer's Olympic Games, he's also won a fully furnished two-bedroom apartment. The 24-year-old gymnast made history as the first male Olympic gold medalist in the history of the Philippines when he won the top prize for his floor exercise on August 3. The following day, he earned a second gold medal for his vault routine. Hidilyn Diaz won the country's first-ever gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 for weightlifting. McKinley Hill is the largest condo development in the city of Taguig and is valued at 24,000,000 Philippine pesos or $414,046 USD.

Persons: Carlos E, Yulo didn't, he's, Hidilyn Diaz, Megaworld, McKinley Hill, Lourdes T, Gutierrez, Alfonso Organizations: Paris, Olympic Games, Philippine Locations: Philippines, Tokyo, McKinley Hill, Yulo, Taguig, McKinley, Fort Bonifacio

☆ Paging Dr. Beat! The history behind budots and TikTok’s latest dance trend
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Emergency!”If you’re up on the latest TikTok dance trends, you may have heard this refrain looped over a wobbly electronic bassline punctuated by high-pitched noises. Beat,” belongs to a Filipino electronic dance music subgenre called budots. It first emerged as a dance and was associated early on with youth drug culture, per Fritz Flores, who wrote an undergraduate thesis on the dance craze. Some scholars have also linked budots dance moves to art forms of the indigenous Badjao people. Though the initial TikTok craze was divorced from the history of budots and its signature dance moves, it also spawned a spinoff trend in which those in the know demonstrated the proper way to dance budots — shining a spotlight on a slice of Filipino culture.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Olivia Rodrigo, DJ Johnrey, ”, budots, Budots, Fritz Flores, Sherwin Calumpang Tuna, Love —, —, Dominic Zinampan, Flores, Ruben Gonzaga, Gonzaga, Mo, Jessica Soho ”, Rodrigo Duterte —, BuwanBuwan, Duterte, Ramon “ Bong ” Revilla, ” Jay Rosas, “, DJ Love, John Dela Cruz, John, Michi Kollette Organizations: CNN, Davao City —, Philippines ’ Senate, VICE Locations: Philippines, Davao City, Philippine, Mindanao, Davao City’s, Budots, Davao, ”

☆ Cristeta Comerford, White House Chef to 5 Presidents, Retires
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Aishvarya Kavi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Growing up in the Philippines, Cristeta Comerford helped her mother, a seamstress, cook for a household of more than a dozen. They were simple meals: rice, a vegetable and fish or chicken, sometimes with extra potatoes to stretch the meal. You should go to Cordon Bleu and be a chef,” Ms. Comerford, who goes by Cris or “Cheffie,” said in an interview on Thursday. She never did go to culinary school, but she became the first woman and person of color to serve as White House executive chef. Ms. Comerford, 61, retired last week, having cooked for five presidents and their families, charted out more than 50 state dinners, and overseen a renovation of the White House kitchen that was built more than a century ago.

Persons: Cristeta Comerford, ‘ Cris, ” Ms, Comerford, Cris, “, ” Organizations: White House, House Locations: Philippines

☆ Olympic moment of the day: Philippines’ Carlos Edriel Yulo gets his nation a historic gold – and himself a new house
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

With his victory in the men’s floor exercise final, Yulo on Saturday became the first Filipino man ever to win an Olympic gold medal, the first Filipino to win any medal in gymnastics and the second Filipino to ever win a gold medal. Just before the 2023 World Championships, Yulo and his longtime coach Munehiro Kugiyama decided to part ways. That didn’t change when he took to the podium to receive the first gold medal ever put around a Filipino man’s neck. But this (pointing at his gold medal) is what really matters to me. I am happy that I won a gold medal and also a house.”

Persons: Paris CNN — Carlos Edriel Yulo, who’d, Yulo, ”, “, I’m, Munehiro Kugiyama, he’s, – it’s, he’ll, “ I’m Organizations: Paris CNN, Bercy, Eiffel Locations: Manila, Paris

In India and China, torrential rains have killed more than 200 people in the past week. Widespread flooding has been reported in North Korea near the border with China with no word on whether anyone died. North Korea: Damage, but no information on deathsThe tropical storm also generated heavy rain in northeast China on the border with North Korea, overflowing the Yalu River, which divides the two countries. In North Korea, the rain flooded 4,100 houses, 7,400 acres of farmland and many public buildings, roads and railways. One city near North Korea asked people living below the third floor to move higher as the Yalu River rose.

Persons: ”, “, Gaemi, KCNA, Kim Jong Un, Kim Organizations: China Meteorological Administration, Rescue, ”, Ministry of Water Resources, AP, State TV Locations: India, China, Pakistan, North Korea, Asia, Kerala, ” India, Philippines, Taiwan, Pacific, Hunan, Zixing, Shanghai . China, North Korea’s, Phyongan, Jilin province, Lahore, Punjab province

☆ Opinion | The Gaza Conflict Enters ‘Uncharted Territory’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He was right; war is never inevitable until it breaks out. He was killed by an explosive device planted in an Iranian guesthouse weeks earlier, and both Iran and Hamas accused Israel of doing it. For Iran, the killing of a senior Hamas leader while he was attending the inauguration of the new Iranian president was a humiliation that the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared it was “our duty” to avenge. Mr. Haniyeh, moreover, was a top Hamas negotiator in cease-fire talks, raising questions about whether those negotiations would be put on a long hold. Nonetheless, Mr. Austin, who was on a visit to the Philippines, went on to suggest that there was still room for diplomacy.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Israel, Fuad Shukr, Ismail Haniyeh, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ”, Haniyeh, Austin, Antony Blinken Organizations: ”, Mr Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Tehran, Israel, Iran, United States, Philippines, Asia

☆ Jim Cramer urges investors to buy stocks as the market sinks in worst day in 2 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. "This company is in such great hands that you have to buy some stock here," Jim advised investors. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Stocks, Apple, Thursday's, there's, Jim, Eaton, Morgan Stanley, Jim Cramer's Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Apple, Services, AMD Locations: Philippines, India, Indonesia, Wells Fargo

☆ This Scientist Wants to Block the Sun to Cool the Earth
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

David Keith was a graduate student in 1991 when a volcano erupted in the Philippines, sending a cloud of ash toward the edge of space. Seventeen million tons of sulfur dioxide released from Mount Pinatubo spread across the stratosphere, reflecting some of the sun’s energy away from Earth. The result was a drop in average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere by roughly one degree Fahrenheit in the year that followed. Global temperatures have hit record highs for 13 months in a row, unleashing violent weather, deadly heat waves and raising sea levels. The main driver of the warming, the burning of fossil fuels, continues more or less unabated.

Persons: David Keith, Keith Locations: Philippines, Mount Pinatubo, Northern

☆ Apple's earnings beat puts it on sure footing ahead of next month's AI iPhone launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

However, the expected AI-driven boom in new iPhone sales does represent a clear positive catalyst on the near-term horizon. Products iPhone sales were down slightly in the quarter. Services All-time revenue record, with an all-time record set in developed markets and a June quarter record set in emerging markets. Services are expected to grow at a double-digit rate similar to the rate seen in Apple's fiscal 2024 first quarter. A person poses holding the original iPhone and the new iPhone 15 outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City ahead of the launch of Apple’s new iPhone 15, Sept. 22, 2023.

Persons: Apple, iPhones, Tim Cook, we're, Luca Maestri, AirPods, Maestri, Cook, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Alexi Rosenfeld Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence, . Research, MacBook Air, iPad, Apple Watch, Services, CNBC, Getty Locations: Greater China, China, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, New York City

But, as events this week in Paris have once again shown, when it comes to women’s skating, Japan’s teenage girls are on fire. Fourteen-year-old Coco Yoshizawa’s late surge helped her beat compatriot Liz Akama, 15, to the gold medal at La Concorde Urban Park, Paris on Sunday. Sakura Yosozumi, then 19, and Kokona Hiraki, then 12, topped the 2021 Tokyo women’s park event. “Since there’s no age limit for skateboarding at the Olympics, any youngsters can compete,” Hiraki, the youngest Olympic medalist since 1936, told CNN in July. Lars Baron/Getty ImagesSkewing youngJapan aside, women’s skateboarding across both categories is dominated by teenage athletes.

Persons: Coco Yoshizawa’s, Liz Akama, ” Yoshizawa, Yuto Horigame, Jagger Eaton, Nyjah Huston, Horigame, Momoji Nishiya, Sakura Yosozumi, Kokona Hiraki, Brown, ” Hiraki, Julian Finney, ”, Junnosuke Yonesaka, Yonesaka, “, ” Akama, Lars Baron, Rayssa Leal, Cui Chenxi, Zhang Haohao, ’, China’s, Mazel Paris Alegado, Trew, Hiraki –, –, it’s Organizations: CNN, Team Japan, Concorde Urban, “, Paris Olympics, Tokyo Games, Urban Sports, Olympic, Concorde, Getty, Japan, Association, Paris, Asian Games Locations: Japan, Paris, Tokyo, France, China, Philippines

☆ U.S. Pledges $500 Million in New Military Aid to the Philippines, as China Asserts Sea Claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday an additional $500 million of military aid to the Philippines, further bolstering the defense alliance between the two nations while the Philippine military is grappling with aggressive actions by Chinese ships in the South China Sea. The U.S. and Philippine governments have deepened their military alliance since Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. became president of the Philippines two years ago. Unlike his predecessor, who favored an opening with China, Mr. Marcos has leaned into ties with the United States. It was the first time that such a so-called 2+2 session between the allied nations has taken place in the Philippines. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III arrived in Manila on Monday night as part of a diplomatic mission to the Indo-Pacific region.

Persons: Ferdinand R, Marcos Jr, Marcos, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Lloyd J, Austin III Organizations: Biden, Mr Locations: Philippines, Philippine, South China, The U.S, China, United States, Hawaii, Manila, Europe, Asia, Russia

☆ North Korea’s Kim ‘inspects’ flood response as thousands evacuated from China border region after heavy rains
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Gawon Bae | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Some 5,000 people were rescued from flood-hit areas along North Korea’s border with China over the weekend in efforts supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, the country’s state media reported Monday. A flooded area in North Korea's North Pyongan province on July 28, pictured in a photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. At least 15 people died following a rain-triggered landslide in central China’s Hunan Province, Chinese state media Xinhua said Sunday. China’s northeast – a key food-growing region which traditionally had been less effected by frequent flooding – is also grappling with heavy rains. In China’s Liaoning province, across the border from North Korea’s North Pyongan, more than 45,000 people were evacuated from their homes as of Sunday morning as heavy rains hit the region, according to Xinhua.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, KCNA, Kim –, Gaemi Organizations: CNN, North Korean, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, Xinhua Locations: China, North Pyongan, Yalu, North Korea, Sinuiju City, Dandong, Asia, North Korea's, Pyongan province, Philippines, Taiwan, China’s Fujian Province, China’s Hunan Province, –, China’s Liaoning, North Korea’s, Xinhua, Southwest Liaoning

☆ Burned out from their healthcare jobs, this millennial couple sold almost everything to take a gap year around the world
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Erin Liam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA week into their honeymoon in 2022, Katie Flynn and Mistry Bhavik faced a major healthcare: Flynn had caught a severe amoeba infection while traveling in the Philippines. Both full-time pharmacists in Ontario, Canada, the couple had no idea when they could travel for a long period again. AdvertisementThe couple set a budget of $45,000 — or $123 per day for both — for their yearlong trip. Katie Flynn and Bhavik MistryTwo months into their adventure, they regularly update their Instagram page, @katieandbhav, where they have also found a community of like-minded travelers. Some millennials, like Flynn and Mistry, have turned to long-term travel to escape corporate life.

Persons: —, Katie Flynn, Mistry Bhavik, Flynn, Mistry, Bhavik Mistry Flynn, Bhavik Mistry, Olivia Young, Jo Fitzsimons, We're Organizations: Service, Business, World Health, American Psychological Association Locations: Philippines, Ontario, Canada, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Chiang Mai, New Zealand

☆ US to announce military command revamp in Japan, official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A dealer works behind U.S., left, and Japanese national flags at a foreign exchange brokerage in Tokyo, Japan. The United States will unveil a major revamp of its military command structure in Japan and other measures to deepen defense ties with its Asian ally at high-level security talks in Tokyo on Sunday, a U.S. official said. Forces Japan as a Joint Force Headquarters, reporting to the commander of U.S. INDOPACOM," the U.S. official told a briefing ahead of the talks. The command will be headed by a three-star general, the official said, not the four-star rank that Japan had requested. Prompted by China's growing military might, Japan is stepping back from decades of postwar pacifism.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Defence Lloyd Austin, Yoko Kamikawa, Minoru Kihara, Kihara, Shin Won, Austin, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Biden, Blinken, Wang Yi Organizations: U.S, Defence, Japanese, Austin, South Korean, Forces Japan, Joint Force Headquarters, U.S ., Defense Industrial Cooperation, Sustainment Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, Washington, China, North Korea, United, Asia, U.S, Ukraine, Blinken, Austin, Philippines, Laos

☆ Blinken chides Beijing's 'escalating actions' at sea, concerned over Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticised Beijing's "escalating and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea at a summit on Saturday, while his Russian counterpart said Washington has stoked anxiety with its plan for a nuclear deterrence with ally Seoul for the Korean peninsula. Blinken singled out China over its coast guard's hostile actions against U.S. defense treaty ally the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Philippines' small troop presence on a grounded former U.S. navy ship at the Second Thomas Shoal has angered China for years. Blinken discussed Taiwan with Wang and concerns about Beijing's recent "provocative actions", included a simulated blockade during the inauguration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, a senior U.S. State Department official said. Wang told Blinken that although communications had been maintained between China and the United States, Washington had not stopped its containment and suppression of Beijing and had even intensified it.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Beijing's, Blinken, Thomas Shoal, Wang, Lai Ching Organizations: China's, 57th Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Washington, Seoul, U.S, ASEAN Regional Forum, EU, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Foreign, Taiwan, U.S . State Department Locations: Vientiane, South, China, Philippines, South China, Manila, Russia, India, Australia, Japan, Gaza, Ukraine, North, U.S, Laos, Beijing, Taiwan, United States, Washington

☆ Top Wall Street analysts suggest these dividend stocks for enhanced returns
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Tipranks.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Investors seeking solid dividend payers can rely on top-ranked Wall Street analysts, who make recommendations after thoroughly analyzing a company's ability to generate solid financials and deliver strong returns. Here are three attractive dividend stocks, according to Wall Street's top pros on TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. WES offers a high dividend yield of 8.8%. Hanold expects Q2 2024 shareholder returns to comprise a fixed dividend of 90 cents a share and a variable dividend of $1.25 per share, with no stock buybacks. KO offers a dividend yield of about 2.9%.

Persons: Wall, WES, Gabriel Moreen, Moreen, TipRanks, FANG, Scott Hanold, KO, Nik Modi, Modi Organizations: Wall Street, Western, Western Midstream Partners, Mizuho, MLP, Diamondback Energy, Endeavor Energy, RBC Capital, Diamondback, Cola Locations: Texas , New Mexico , Colorado , Utah, Wyoming, West Texas, Philippines, India

☆ Blinken meets China’s top diplomat in Laos as global giants keep communication lines open
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Nectar Gan | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as China’s increasingly assertive moves in the South China Sea and threats toward Taiwan, have in recent years soured the Washington-Beijing relationship. In contrast, both Putin and Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov have been greeted in Beijing multiple times since the invasion. against a backdrop of increasingly violent clashes between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea. “We are pleased to take note of the successful resupply today of the Second Thomas Shoal, which is the product of an agreement reached between the Philippines and China,” Blinken said. His running mate JD Vance has advocated halting military aid to Ukraine in favor of focusing on Taiwan’s defense.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Wang Yi, Joe Biden’s, China’s, Xi Jinping’s, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Wang, Dmytro Kuleba, Beijing “, ”, Putin, Sergei Lavrov, Kuleba, Lavrov, Russia …, “, ” Lavrov, Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, Beijing’s, Shoal, Thomas, ” Blinken, Biden, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Kamala Harris Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, Foreign, ASEAN, Laos –, North American Aerospace Defense Command, NATO, Ukraine, European Union, Ukrainian Foreign, South China, Republican, Democratic Locations: Hong Kong, China, Laos, Asia, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Mongolia, Ukraine, South, Taiwan, Washington, Beijing, Alaska, Russia, Moscow, Russia’s, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Manila, South China

☆ RIMPAC: US Air Force B-2 bomber used in exercise to sink surface ship with low-cost bomb
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Earlier this month, the US and allies practiced taking out a large surface ship with long-range weapons, including, for the first time, a US Air Force B-2 bomber. It showed the US military can use one of its most survivable weapons platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to sink a major surface ship with a low-cost guided bomb. The Air Force says its stealthy characteristics allow it to penetrate heavily defended areas and also fly with a small chance of being detected by radar at high altitudes. Mating it up with relatively cheap and demonstrably effective precision-guided bombs with warheads of up to 2,000 pounds could give the Air Force bombers the “anti-ship lethality” of a submarine-launched torpedo without the liabilities of a submarine, according to a US Air Force website. The Air Force first tested QUICKSINK in 2022, when an F-15 fighter jet released a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that destroyed a full-scale surface target in the Gulf of Mexico, according to an Air Force statement.

Persons: ”, Seleena Muhammad, QUICKSINK, Carl Schuster, ” Schuster, Jon Husman, Alessio Patalano, Mark Hammond, Australia’s, “, LSIS Daniel Goodman, USS Fitzgerald, John Wade, RIMPAC, John Bradford, ” Bradford, Zhongping Organizations: South Korea CNN, US Air Force, US, Air Force, Munitions, Royal Air Force, U.S . Air Force, Navy, Air Force Research, Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, US Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center, U.S . Navy, King’s College, US Navy, Ship, 3rd Fleet, Royal Australian Navy, Naval, Australia, Royal Australian, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, US Navy destroyer, US Marine Corps, Task Force, Foreign Relations International Affairs, Times, PLA Navy, Global Times, ” Global Times Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Kauai, China, Tarawa, England, U.S, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, Taiwan, Philippines, Japan, London, Oahu, Hawaii, Norwegian, USS Dubuque, ‘, Malaysia, Netherlands, China China, Asia, Taiwan Strait, South China

☆ Is 100 Days Enough Time to Pick a Leader? Around the World, Yes.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Josh Holder | Keith Collins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Is 100 Days Enough Time to Pick a Leader? But in many other democracies, an official election period sets out when candidates can debate, make speeches and run political ads (often with strict spending limits). “We know from other countries that 100 days is plenty of time for a healthy campaign,” said Mr. Tama. “Most campaigns in different countries are in the range of a few weeks to several months.”Even in India, the largest democracy in the world, the official campaign only starts a little over a month before voting begins. And in India in 2014, Narendra Modi had six months after his party chose him as leader to wage his successful campaign for prime minister.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Justin Trudeau, Italy Giorgia Meloni, Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Anthony Albanese, France Emmanuel Macron, Indonesia Joko, Keir Starmer, India Narendra Modi, Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, Japan Fumio Kishida, Donald J, Trump, Jordan Tama, “, ”, Tama, Biden’s, Lyndon B, Johnson, Harris, Narendra Modi Organizations: Voters, American University, American, United, Electoral College, Labour, Conservative Locations: Mexico, Philippines, Italy, France, Indonesia, India, Korea, Japan, Canada, United States

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