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☆ OpenAI Glitch Shows Weaknesses in Microsoft’s AI Armor
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Microsoft may have put out a five-alarm fire around its most important technology move in years. But fires leave scorch marks—and sometimes flare up again. A leadership crisis at Silicon Valley startup OpenAI over the weekend threatened to seriously singe the world’s second-largest company by market value. That is because OpenAI developed the key generative artificial-intelligence technology that has helped power Microsoft’s aggressive move into the field. Microsoft has invested a total of $13 billion into the company and already launched commercial products and services based on its technology, including a chatbot-enabled Bing search engine and a superpowered digital assistant called Copilot that can render emails, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.

Persons: OpenAI Organizations: Microsoft Locations: Silicon

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — These days, Catherine Mangosho locks her 3-year-old grandson in the house for hours on end in an attempt to shield him from a deadly cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe. The virulent bacterial disease is killing the young and the old in the southern African country, with health authorities reporting more than 150 suspected deaths and over 8,000 suspected cases since February. Since the start of the latest outbreak, Zimbabwe's Health Ministry has recorded 8,087 suspected cholera cases and 1,241 laboratory confirmed cases. It said there have been 152 suspected cholera deaths and 51 laboratory confirmed deaths. The World Health Organization has said that cholera cases in Africa are rising exponentially amid a global surge.

Persons: Catherine Mangosho, Cholera, ”, “, Douglas Mombeshora, Nyachuru Organizations: Health, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, World Health, WHO, Red Cross Federation, Community Water Alliance, AP Locations: HARARE, Zimbabwe, Harare, Africa, Kuwadzana, Glen View, Zimbabwe's, africa

☆ Gaza strikes kill family members of journalist targeted by death threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Deadly strikes hit the Gaza home of a news photographer days after an Israeli media advocacy group questioned his coverage of Hamas' Oct. 7, prompting death threats against him on social media. Yasser Qudih, who survived the strikes on the night of Nov. 13, said four projectiles hit the rear of his house, killing eight family members. Qudih had provided photos to Reuters during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas gunmen although he was not a Reuters staff photographer. Reuters could not verify who was responsible for the strikes, why Qudih's home in southern Gaza was targeted or whether the strikes were linked to HonestReporting's Nov. 8 report. In a statement, Reuters said it was "deeply saddened "to learn of the deaths of Qudih's family members.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Yasser Qudih, Qudih, Israel, HonestReporting, Benny Gantz, Danny Danon, Gil Hoffman, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mark Bendeich, Timothy Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Gaza, Reuters, Israel Defence Forces, IDF, United Nations, Likud, Nasser Hospital, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israeli, HonestReporting

☆ Hezbollah, Israel trade strikes at Lebanese border in latest escalation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Smoke rises on the Lebanese side of the border between Israel and Lebanon after an Israeli airstrike, as seen from northern Israel, November 18, 2023. The Iran-backed Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli drone near the border in the early hours of Saturday. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident. Hezbollah released a series of statements early on Saturday saying it had hit Israeli military sites and troops in areas along the border and caused casualties. Hezbollah has attacked Israeli troops at the Lebanese border since the latest Gaza war began and Israel has launched air and artillery strikes against southern Lebanon.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Hani Kobeissy, John Davison, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hezbollah, Palestinian, Hamas, United, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Lebanese, United States, Iran, Israeli, Nabatieh, Gaza, Beirut

WASHINGTON (AP) — By most accounts, Speaker Mike Johnson inherited a House Republican majority in disarray after the sudden ouster of his predecessor last month. But as Johnson, R-La., tries to rebuild that slim majority, he’s fast running into the same hard-right factions and divisions that Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was unable to tame. Centrist conservatives said the measures went too far, however, as the hard-right faction demands steeper reductions in government programs. Johnson rebuffed their suggestion to at least attach the House-passed Israel aid package as a way force the Senate to act. He’s admired, he's trusted,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. “You know, he’s human.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, ” Johnson, Joe Biden, McCarthy, “, Chip Roy, Nancy Pelosi, ” Roy, ”, Nick LaLota, LaLota, Biden, He’s, he's, Bob Good, Garrett Graves, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Capitol, Teamsters, House Republicans, Biden, Republicans, thundered, Rep, GOP, Justice Department, Hamas, Jan, Democrats, Democratic Locations: Texas, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, Mexico, “, Garrett Graves of Louisiana, New York

☆ US SEC presses judge to force Elon Musk to testify in Twitter probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

In a document filed in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday, the SEC defended its efforts to compel Musk's testimony, saying agency officials are acting within their authority. The SEC last month said it was investigating Musk's 2022 purchases of stock in Twitter -- which Musk subsequently renamed X -- and his statements and SEC filings relating to his takeover of the social media giant. Musk had refused to attend a September interview for the probe, the SEC said. Musk and his lawyers on Nov. 2 asked the judge to deny the SEC's motion to compel his testimony, saying Musk had already testified twice and that the agency was exceeding its authority. But the SEC on Thursday rejected those claims, saying agency officials are indeed granted authority by law to seek testimony and documents as they pursue their investigative work.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Musk, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, San Francisco

☆ Astronomers are baffled after spotting strange cosmic flares that have 10 billion times more power than the sun
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The event, nicknamed Tasmanian devil, is puzzling scientists who don't know what is causing it. Ho and colleagues' observations suggest the Tasmanian devil released at least 14 irregular and highly energetic bursts, each lasting only a few minutes. This leaves a neutron star or a black hole surrounded by the remnants of a partial star. To produce such brilliant flares, a black hole or neutron star would need a lot of fuel. AdvertisementAnother possibility is that the Tasmanian devil was caused by a star merging with a black hole or a neutron star, said Ho.

Persons: —, Anna Ho, LFBOTs, Ashley Chrimes, Chrimes, Ho, We'd, haven't Organizations: Service, NASA, Cornell University, Nature News, European Space Agency

There was one of Argentina’s presidential candidates, Sergio Massa, dressed in a shirt with what appeared to be military medals, pointing to a blue sky. “The image exudes authority and determination.”Javier Milei, the other candidate in Sunday’s runoff election, has struck back by sharing what appear to be A.I. images depicting Mr. Massa as a Chinese communist leader and himself as a cuddly cartoon lion. Argentina’s election has quickly become a testing ground for A.I. in campaigns, with the two candidates and their supporters employing the technology to doctor existing images and videos and create others from scratch.

Persons: Sergio Massa, —, “, Gustav Klutsis, masssa, ”, ” Javier Milei, Massa Locations: Buenos Aires

☆ The dream economic scenario might be back on the table, as inflation cools and growth surges
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's a sign the dream economic scenario – where the Fed reins in inflation without crushing growth or driving up unemployment – is still on the table. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . After a difficult few months, there are signs the central bank's dream economic scenario is back on the table once again. The dream economic scenarioSome big-name investors sounded cautious in their responses to the latest data, warning that inflation may prove stickier than expected. Some might call this a "Goldilocks" scenario – where inflation, growth, and the job market all look "just right".

Persons: Stocks, —, PIMCO, Paul McCulley, Jamie Dimon, Ken Griffin, Matt Turner, Taylor, it's Organizations: Service, Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Nasdaq, JPMorgan, Citadel, optimist, country's Locations: –

☆ Gamma-ray burst in faraway galaxy disturbed Earth's upper atmosphere
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

This gamma-ray burst, researchers said on Tuesday, caused a significant disturbance in Earth's ionosphere, a layer of the planet's upper atmosphere that contains electrically charged gases called plasma. It helps form the boundary between the vacuum of space and the lower atmosphere inhabited by people and Earth's other denizens. The gamma rays from the burst impacted Earth's atmosphere for a span of about 13 minutes on Oct. 9, 2022. Instruments on Earth showed that the gamma rays disturbed the ionosphere for several hours and even set off lightning detectors in India. The effects of this gamma-ray burst were studied with the help of the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES), also called Zhangheng, a Chinese-Italian mission launched in 2018.

Persons: Mirko Piersanti, Piersanti, Pietro Ubertini, Ubertini, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Acquire, Rights, Ray Astrophysics, University of L'Aquila, Nature Communications, National Institute for Astrophysics, Thomson Locations: Italy, India, China

☆ Biden and Xi meeting set for next week as US hopes to halt downward spiral in relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Biden’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is set for next Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area, senior US administration officials said, setting up a test of whether the two men can slow a downward spiral in relations at a moment of heavy global turbulence. It includes restoring military-to-military communication between the two countries, a chief objective for Biden, who plans to press Xi on the issue. Despite a deep and apparently warm personal relationship cultivated during their time as vice presidents, Biden and Xi have overseen a deterioration in US-China relations to the lowest level in decades. That meeting was intended to establish a baseline for the relationship amid heightened economic and military tension. Ahead of next week’s meeting, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen invited Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, known as the country’s “economic tsar,” for a two-day meeting starting Thursday.

Persons: Biden’s, Xi Jinping, aren’t, Biden, Xi, ”, Bonny Lin, “ Rather, Nancy Pelosi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Han Zheng, ” Han Organizations: CNN, San Francisco Bay Area, White, Communist Party, Biden, China Power Project, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US National, Washington, Bloomberg Locations: San Francisco Bay, Ukraine, Washington, Beijing, Israel, South, Taiwan, California, China, Russia, United States, Bali, Singapore

☆ Explainer: Iran's expanding oil trade with top buyer China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Muyu Xu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here are key facts on Iran's oil trade with China:HOW MUCH IRANIAN OIL IS CHINA BUYING? HOW DOES IRANIAN OIL ENTER CHINA? Almost all Iranian oil entering China is branded as originating from Malaysia or other Middle Eastern countries. China regulates crude oil imports by issuing quotas. Giant state refiners Sinopec and PetroChina were once key Iranian oil clients, with investments in oilfields in the country.

Persons: Raheb, Donald Trump, refiners, China's, Muyu Xu, Florence Tan, Tony Munroe, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Imports, Reuters, Brent, Washington, State Department, Thomson Locations: Iranian, Iran, Israel, Tehran, China, CHINA, Washington, Malaysia, Oman, UAE, China's Shandong, Kpler, Shandong, Russia, Venezuela, Beijing, U.S

☆ Here are the 'unwritten rules' of air travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Marylou Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A new report has an ominous warning for air travelers. "No matter what you do on a plane, you're probably annoying another passenger," it states. "When the unwritten rules of airlines etiquette are broached, it can lead to conflict," writes Lindsey Roeschke, a travel and hospitality analyst at Morning Consult who authored the report. Nearly one in five respondents said concerns about other passengers' behavior may deter them from taking a trip. Some 77% of people in the survey said they were "bothered" by it, with 51% saying they were "very bothered."

Persons: Lindsey Roeschke, Thomas Trutschel, I'm, —, Zs —, Roeschke, Gen Zs, Sandy Huffaker, Zs, hasn't, that's, Sara Nelson Organizations: Morning, United Arab Emirates, Passengers, CheapAir.com, Getty, Photothek, Corbis, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Association of Flight, NBC Locations: Asia, New York, United States of America, Berlin, Germany, United States

The wave of sales has reversed much of the 398 million barrels purchased between the end of June and the middle of September. WTI SQUEEZE ENDSIn the seven days ending on October 31, selling was led by crude (-78 million barrels), especially NYMEX and ICE WTI (-62 million barrels), with a smaller contribution from Brent (-16 million). The remaining position (153 million barrels) was the lowest for 16 weeks since July 11 (128 million barrels). Crude inventories around the NYMEX delivery point at Cushing in Oklahoma depleted to just 22 million barrels at the end of September from 43 million barrels at the end of June. But most of the sales have come in European gas oil (-49 million barrels) rather than U.S. diesel (-6 million) reflecting the poor outlook for the European economy.

Persons: Angus Mordant, Cushing, John Kemp Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, ICE, diesel, Funds, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Loving County , Texas, U.S, North America, Europe, China, Iran, Israel, Cushing, Oklahoma, WTI, NYMEX

☆ France to give armoured vehicles to Lebanese army - defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - France will send dozens of armoured vehicles to the Lebanese army so it can properly carry out patrol missions in the country, France's defence minister said in remarks published on Monday. "We will pursue our partnership with military equipment, notably for the transport of troops protected by armour, which is key to maintain patrols," he said, adding that several dozen armoured vehicles would be given to the Lebanese army soon. "Our support for the Lebanese army is for the long-term whatever the current difficulties," Lecornu added. Paris will also provide medicines and is setting up a joint programme to purchase medical supplies at reasonable prices for the Lebanese army in the future, he said. France has sought to use its historical relationship with Lebanon to try to defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, but violence has spiked.

Persons: Lebanon's, Sebastien Lecornu, Lecornu, John Irish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Lebanese, United Nations, UN Interim Force, Thomson Locations: France, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Paris, United States

Just 30 minutes after Trump was sworn in, Judge Arthur Engoron – frustrated by the former president’s non-answers – turned to the former president’s defense team for help. Trump is known for being long-winded and talking around an issue instead of answering questions directly. “This is not a political rally.”But Trump’s two lead attorneys, Chris Kise and Alina Habba, did little to help. “This is a very unfair trial,” Trump said from the witness stand. That narrative is a markedly different one than Trump’s two adult sons provided in testimony last week.

Persons: Donald Trump, sparred, Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron –, –, Chris Kise, Alina Habba, ”, ” Engoron, “, Letitia James, James, Engoron, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, he’s, ” Trump, general’s prosecutorial Organizations: Trump, Donald Trump View, New York Locations: United States, New York

Humanitarian agencies have lost contact with aid workers in Gaza, as the Palestinian enclave faces its third communications blackout of the Israel-Hamas war, according to operators. Earlier in the day, the IDF said its soldiers had reached the coast as part of an effort to encircle Hamas forces and strike targets in Gaza. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke on Friday about the October 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing war in Gaza. IDF accuses Hamas of using civilian infrastructure: The Israeli military released what it said was evidence of Hamas using civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and children’s playgrounds, as shields for its attacks on Israel. Hostages in Gaza: The Israeli military’s current count of hostages being held by Hamas is 240, Hagari, the Israel Defense Forces' spokesperson, said Sunday.

Persons: Paltel, Daniel Hagari, Antony Blinken's, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s, ” Organizations: Facebook, United Nations, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, IDF, Iraqi, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Turkish, Air Force, Anadolu Agency, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, " Police Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Sderot, Blinken, Iraq, Sudani, Baghdad, Jordan, Ramallah, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, Turkish, United States, Anadolu

☆ Nvidia and AMD CEOs: Two of the world’s most powerful tech execs come from the same Taiwanese family
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Michelle Toh | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The chief executives of Nvidia (NVDA) and AMD (AMD) aren’t just two of the most powerful people in the global AI chip industry, they’re also family. “For almost half a century now, Taiwan’s economy has been centered on electronics production, chip assembly, chip manufacturing, chip design, everything semiconductors. According to Nvidia, Huang was born in 1963 in Taipei before moving to the southern city of Tainan. “I would say anyone who logs on the internet is likely touching not just one, but dozens and hundreds of Nvidia and AMD chips,” said Miller. I would say anyone who logs on the internet is likely touching not just one, but dozens and hundreds of Nvidia and AMD chips.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, they’re, Su, Jean Wu, Wu, Huang, ” Su, ” Wu, ” Christopher Miller, ”, it’s, there’s, Hwa Cheng, Edith Yeung, Miller, Robyn Beck, AMD’s, Florence Lo, “, Christopher Miller Organizations: Taipei CNN, Nvidia, AMD, CNN, Consumer Technology Association, rockstar, Technology, Bloomberg, Getty, Race Capital, ASUS, Consumer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Stanford University, McKinsey, Associated Press, CTA Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwan, United States, China, Silicon Valley, Silicon, Tainan, Thailand, Washington, Kentucky, New York City, Las Vegas, AFP, Santa Clara , California

☆ Obama says the war in Gaza is killing people 'who have nothing to do with what Hamas did'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former President Barack Obama said, "What's happening to Palestinians is unbearable." NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. 'TikTok activism'Even as he acknowledged the death of innocent Palestinians, Obama cautioned against embracing what he derided as one-sided narratives online that favor slogans over nuance. "The problem with the social media and trying to TikTok activism — and trying to debate this on that — is you can't speak the truth," Obama said. In the interview published Saturday, Obama reflected on his time in office in light of this latest flare-up in the Middle East.

Persons: Barack Obama, Obama, —, Israel, — I've, that's Organizations: Save, Service, Hamas, White, Palestinian, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestine

Tesla, X (formerly known as Twitter) and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk attends the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in Bletchley, Britain on November 1, 2023. Musk filed the objections in San Francisco federal court, where the SEC sued him on Oct. 5 to make him testify for the probe, which it launched in April 2022. Musk has given the SEC documents relating to the probe and provided testimony in July last year via video conference, the SEC said in a court filing. The SEC has spent 18 months "devoting its formidable resources to investigating Mr. Musk over an allegedly untimely filing," the court filings said. The SEC sued Musk in 2018 over his posts on social media saying he had "funding secured" to take electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) private.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Leon Neal, Musk, Alex Spiro, Spiro, Twitter, Jody Godoy, Chris Prentice, Dan Whitcomb, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: SpaceX's, Bletchley, REUTERS Acquire, U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, Twitter, U.S, Tesla Inc, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Bletchley, Britain, San Francisco federal, U.S, New York

☆ US, Arab Leaders to Meet Over Gaza as Palestinian Deaths Mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Civilians in the area are repeatedly called upon to evacuate southwards for their own safety," the military said. Israel has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies. Food is scarce, residents have resorted to drinking salty water, medical services are collapsing and Gaza health officials say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed. "Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza." Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Nidal, Simon Lewis, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Ashraf al, Qidra, Izzat El Reshiq, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Blinken, Washington, Jordan, Lebanon's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Nidal al, Daphne Psaledakis, Rami Ayyub, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Israeli, Saudi, Israel, State Department, West Bank, Washington, White House National Security Council, Hamas Locations: Khalidi GAZA, AMMAN, Gaza, Jordan, Gaza's, Israel, al, Gaza City, U.S, Amman, Jordanian, Washington, Lebanon's Iran, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, In Washington, Khalidi

Palestinians pull an ambulance after a convoy of ambulances was hit, at the entrance of Shifa hospital in Gaza City, November 3, 2023. Israel has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies. Blinken on Saturday will meet with the Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministers as well as Palestinian representatives in Amman, the Jordanian foreign ministry said. "Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza." Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Anas, Israel, Antony Blinken, Jordan Lebanon's, Ashraf al, Qidra, Izzat El Reshiq, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Blinken, Washington, Jordan, Lebanon's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Nidal al, Simon Lewis, Suleiman Al, Daphne Psaledakis, Rami Ayyub, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Saudi, U.S, Reuters, Israeli, Israel, State Department, West Bank, Washington, White House National Security Council, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Jordan, Israel, GAZA, AMMAN, Gaza's, al, U.S, Amman, Jordanian, Washington, Lebanon's Iran, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, In Washington, Khalidi

☆ Bill Gross says it's time to buy these regional bank stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Billionaire investor Bill Gross said Thursday that he is buying beaten-down regional bank stocks. "Regional bank falling knife has hit bottom. I'm buying TFC, CFG, KEY, FHN," Gross said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Gross, whose long investing career has included co-founding PIMCO and earning the moniker "The Bond King," has said recently that he was watching regional banks for a potential buying opportunity. The sector has struggled to recover from a March flare-up that saw several midsize lenders fail, including Silicon Valley Bank.

Persons: Bill Gross, Gross Organizations: Twitter, Financial, Citizens, Treasury, Silicon Valley Bank Locations: Silicon

☆ Lebanon Says Fires Destroy 40,000 Olive Trees, Blames Israeli Shelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Riham AlkousaaBEIRUT (Reuters) - Fires caused by Israeli shelling in south Lebanon have burned some 40,000 olive trees and torched hundreds of square km (miles) of land, dealing a serious blow to a major Lebanese crop, the agriculture minister said. The Israeli army denied the accusation and said the types of smoke-screen shell it uses do not contain white phosphorus. "These olives have not been harvested yet, meaning we lost the trees and the season," Hajj Hassan said. (But) we have olives trees that are 200 years old." Mohammad el Husseini of the south Lebanon farmers syndicate said the Lebanese government would not be able to compensate farmers for the losses, with the country four years into a devastating financial meltdown.

Persons: Israel, Abbas Hajj Hassan, Hajj Hassan, Dory Farah, Alma Alashaab, Mohammad el Husseini, Riham Alkousaa, Emily Rose, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Reuters, Agriculture, Agriculture Organization, FAO Locations: Riham, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanese, Israel, Palestinian, Alma, Food, Olive, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ The War on College Campuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Lauren Camera | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +16 min

College campuses have always been bastions of protest, where young, energetic students push older generations in the direction of the next social or political reform. Notably, the prevailing notions of the liberal bent of college campuses are not incorrect. According to a 2023 survey by FIRE of roughly 1,500 four-year college professors, 50% identify as liberal, 17% as moderate, and 26% as conservative. Analysts say the recent inflammatory examples that have not only riven college campuses but altered the way many Americans view them also underscore the increasing difficulty observers in the U.S. have of sitting with complex developments. Many of the country’s most elite schools actually perform the worst, according to the 2024 College Free Speech Ranking by FIRE.

Persons: Ron DeSantis –, “, ”, –, Zach Greenberg, Nikki Haley, Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Pell Grant, Donald Trump, Strawn, Davis Polk, Sarah Lawrence, Samuel Abrams, ” Greenberg, Joe Biden, Peter Coleman, Morton, Coleman, “ We’re, Tony Banout, ” Banout, ” Coleman Organizations: Hamas, National Students for Justice, Florida Gov, College, Foundation, Rights, ”, U.S ., Harvard’s, for Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Committee, George Washington University, GOP, Former South Carolina Gov, Customs, Winston, Wardwell, Harvard University, Columbia University, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, FIRE, Sarah Lawrence College, New York Times, Columbia, America – Democrats, Republicans, Jewish, Tulane University, Cornell University, FBI, White, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Morton Deutsch International, for Cooperation, Israel, University of Chicago, University of Chicago Forum, Free Locations: Israel, Palestine, America, Florida, Gaza, U.S, Former, ., Carolina, Columbia, Costa Rica

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