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☆ Stakes in Sudan’s War Include Russian Gold, Nile Dam, Key Shipping Lane
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Gabriele Steinhauser | Nicholas Bariyo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The fate of some of Africa’s most important strategic resources is hanging in the balance as Sudan’s top two generals vie for supremacy, from the waters of the Nile and access to crucial shipping lanes to some of the continent’s largest gold mines. These riches have long caught the eye of outside powers, including Russia, Egypt and the petrostates of the Gulf. Now, some are trying to influence the outcome of the conflict, by offering weapons and other military support to the rival factions, moves that could drag out a lethal confrontation between Sudan’s military and a state-sponsored militia in which hundreds of people have already been killed.

☆ Large Food Market Burned in Darfur Camp, Satellite Images Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Christoph Koettl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A large market for food and other supplies serving a camp for displaced people was partly damaged during a fire on Wednesday, reflecting the dangerous toll recent fighting has taken on Sudan’s most vulnerable citizens. The extent of the destruction was evident in satellite imagery and social media videos analyzed by The New York Times, which found that the blaze destroyed or damaged approximately 18 acres of the market. Over the past week, Sudan has been engulfed in violence as the Army and a paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F. Already, the Abu Shouk camp, located in El Fasher, the regional capital of North Darfur, was experiencing supply shortages. According to Thomas Okedi, the area manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, the camp hadn’t received any aid in the week before the fire started.

☆ Record-holder Kipchoge headlines stacked Boston Marathon field
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Members of the public fill Boylston Street to watch a dedication ceremony at the finish line on the ten year anniversary of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Brian SnyderApril 15 (Reuters) - World record-holder Eliud Kipchoge headlines a star-studded Boston Marathon field on Monday as the world's oldest 26.2-mile race takes on a somber tone 10 years after a bombing attack near the finish line. Ethiopian Amane Beriso, who produced the all-time third-fastest marathon in Valencia late last year, headlines a speedy women's field with twice major winner Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya and Ethiopia's world champion Gotytom Gebreslase. Kenyan Edna Kiplagat will vie for her third Boston title with her fellow former champions American Des Linden and Ethiopian Atsede Baysa also expected to run. The 127th running of the Boston Marathon begins with the men's wheelchair division at 9:02 a.m.

☆ Wes Anderson, Ken Loach among big names competing at Cannes Film Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] 72nd Cannes Film Festival - Photocall for the film "Sorry We Missed You" in competition - Cannes, France, May 17, 2019. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File PhotoApril 13 (Reuters) - Wes Anderson, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes and Wim Wenders are among the directors who will compete for the top prize at next month's Cannes Film Festival, where a spate of Hollywood stars will also premiere their latest works on the famed Croisette waterfront. At a press conference on Thursday, festival director Thierry Fremaux announced the line-up for the 76th edition of major cinema showcase from May 16-27. "It's a competition that will mix young filmmakers competing for the first time with veterans whose names and works we know," Fremaux said. Adventurer Indiana Jones will also return to the festival 15 years since his last appearance in Cannes.

☆ Think You Know How ‘Succession’ Ends? Want to Bet?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Wilson Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Succession” has earned acclaim for its depiction of the fictional lives of the mega-rich, power-hungry and venal Roy siblings (Connor, Kendall, Shiv and Roman) as they vie for control of Waystar Royco. “I might spend it on a trip to Tuscany.” (The location of the drama-filled Season 3 wedding of Caroline Collingwood, Shiv, Kendall and Roman’s mother, on the show.) Jayson Buford, who placed a $20 bet with nine of his friends at his “Succession” watch parties, said betting was “a fun activity to do to supplement the idea of the show, which is very communal. It’s a show about a family, people have watch parties, people gather, and it plays within that.” Mr. Buford believes that Waystar Royco is going to dissolve and that nobody will take over the company. Logan “thinks Kendall is an addict, and he doesn’t think Shiv is smart,” he said.

☆ U.S., South Korea Vie Over Extradition of Crypto Fugitive Do Kwon
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( James Fanelli | Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Police officers escorting Do Kwon, the creator of the failed TerraUSD stablecoin, in Montenegro’s capital Podgorica on Friday. The U.S. and South Korea are both seeking to extradite captured crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon from Montenegro, authorities in the tiny European nation said this week, setting up competing bids to prosecute him over criminal charges tied to the collapse of his TerraUSD stablecoin. Legal experts said South Korea may hold the upper hand because it is party to an extradition treaty with Montenegro, but diplomacy and previous instances of the Balkan state turning over fugitives to the U.S. could also factor into where Mr. Kwon ends up.

☆ Asia's 'best restaurants' list is out — and it's no surprise which country made the list 17 times
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

William Drew, director of content for Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, said Japan's strong performance is "no surprise." The top 50 restaurants in AsiaThis year commemorates the 10th anniversary of the "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" list. Asia's top 50 restaurantsThe list of "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants" for 2023 are: 1. Ten restaurants that ranked among Asia's best 50 restaurants last year fell into the 51-100 ranking this year. Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023Labyrinth also rose 29 spots to No.11, winning the "Highest Climber" award.

☆ Two Florida Towns Vie to Be Center of the Equestrian World
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Deborah Acosta | Photographs Sydney Walsh For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An equestrian rivalry between towns competing for horse-riding events and well-heeled homeowners and athletes is heating up in Florida. Wellington, a village on the west side of Palm Beach County, for more than 15 years has been Florida’s equestrian sports center, hosting the Winter Equestrian Festival, which attracts tens of thousands of spectators during its 13-week run. The daughters of Bill Gates , Steve Jobs and Michael Bloomberg have competed in the festival and their families own homes in the area, according to real-estate brokers.

“VCs think this is the new internet,” a generative AI founder in the United States told Reuters. While the closure of Silicon Valley Bank may hamper debt financing, venture capitalists said interest in funding AI startups remains high, especially for top early-stage founders. Investors sense opportunity, even for a sale if not an initial public offering; some are betting that AI startups might outpace bigger rivals, encumbered by their size. You.com, a search engine company founded in 2020 and backed by Salesforce’s CEO Marc Benioff, has found new life from incorporating generative AI technology. It has attracted more attention from users and investors, handling millions of searches per day, the company told Reuters.

☆ Emerging venture fund managers had few banking options to begin with. After Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, where do they turn now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Melia Russell | Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Silicon Valley Bank had long banked a class of startup investors known as emerging managers. He was able to quickly switch from Silicon Valley Bank with an email to his contact at AngelList. Novak is part of a contingent of investors who are shifting their banking strategy in the fallout of Silicon Valley Bank's failure. After Silicon Valley Bank's demise, the big banks have gotten more selective, the three investors said. The big banks like JPMorgan set account minimums for its private banking group, locking out emerging fund managers.

March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. scientific instruments maker Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc (TMO.N) and South Korea's Celltrion Inc (068270.KS) are among those competing to acquire the biopharma solutions business of medical device maker Baxter International Inc (BAX.N), according to people familiar with the matter. Baxter, which has a market value of $19 billion, had total debt of $16.6 billion as of the end of December. Private equity firms, including KKR & Co (KKR.N) and Carlyle Group (CG.O), have also expressed interest in the Baxter business, the sources said. Baxter said in January it was exploring alternatives for its biopharma solutions business and would also spin off its kidney care units. Baxter's biopharma solutions unit supports drugmakers in the formulation, development and commercialization of drugs typically given by infusion or injection, such as biologics and vaccines.

☆ Chicago Mayoral Candidates Vie for Key Hispanic Voters in Runoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Joe Barrett | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chicago mayoral candidates Paul Vallas, left, and Brandon Johnson this month aimed to make clear with voters what sets them apart. CHICAGO—The two candidates competing to become mayor of the nation’s third-largest city are courting Hispanic voters, who make up roughly 30% of the population and could decide next month’s election. Paul Vallas , a former schools chief and moderate Democrat, has strong backing among white voters, while Brandon Johnson, a progressive Cook County commissioner, is working to solidify his support among Black voters. The crucial question is which candidate can expand his base to win the April 4 runoff.

☆ Amazon targets 2024 launch of first Kuiper internet satellites
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's satellite internet unit, Project Kuiper, will begin mass-producing the satellites later this year, the company said. The 2024 deployment target would keep Amazon on track to fulfill a regulatory mandate to launch half its entire Kuiper network of 3,236 satellites by 2026. Amazon plans to launch a pair of prototype satellites early this year aboard a new rocket from the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance. The 2024 launch, carrying the initial production satellites, is expected to be the first of many more in a swift deployment campaign using rockets Amazon procured in 2021 and 2022. The company on Tuesday also revealed a slate of three different terminals, or antennas, that will connect customers with its Kuiper satellites in orbit.

In Tehran, a man holds a newspaper with news of Iran and Saudi Arabia’s agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations. China’s brokering of a détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia accelerates a geopolitical realignment in the Middle East, as rivalries that erupted during the Arab Spring fade and outside powers besides the U.S. vie for influence. The restoration of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh, announced Friday in Beijing after years of enmity between the two capitals, reflects the new reality: With Washington increasingly preoccupied in Ukraine and Asia, the region is trying to move past its old divisions, resolving conflicts and easing tensions.

For now, by building in Ohio, Foxconn can offer customers access to U.S. federal incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, Daiwa Capital Markets analyst Kylie Huang said. That's a selling point as traditional automakers juggle building gasoline-powered vehicles with plans to build their own EV capacity. "If they don't get one this year, next year will be more difficult," Huang said of Foxconn's search for an EV contract with a traditional automaker. "Sooner or later, maybe the top, traditional (automakers) say, 'Hey, I want to become a product marketing company. Foxconn wants to build around 300,000 EVs at the plant, Ian Upton, director of production control at Foxconn Ohio, told Reuters.

☆ No current plan for the UAE to leave OPEC oil alliance, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The OPEC logo pictured ahead of an informal meeting between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Algiers, Algeria. The United Arab Emirates does not intend to leave the influential OPEC oil alliance at this time, two senior officials with knowledge of the matter told CNBC, after a recent report signaled internal talks over such a departure. The UAE oil ministry and Adnoc, the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates, did not immediately respond to CNBC requests for comment. On March 3, the Wall Street Journal reported that rising political disagreements between OPEC+ chair Saudi Arabia and the UAE have once more sparked questions over the latter's future in the producers' coalition. The front-month Nymex WTI contract was at $78.72 per barrel, lower by 96 cents per barrel from the previous settlement price.

☆ Trump and DeSantis are the only 'big fish' CPAC attendees expect in the 2024 presidential race. But several say there's nothing wrong with others auditioning for supporting roles.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are top of mind at the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC participants suspect 2024 will come down to those two, while others vie for the VP slot. 'An interesting race'Rory McSchane, a GOP political strategist from Austin, Texas is in the more the merrier camp. "My sincere hope is that she would be the vice president," Yadeta said of having Haley round out the 2024 ticket. Should Scott wind up taking the plunge, Bencosme said she could see herself supporting him in the GOP primary — and possibly beyond.

☆ 'Everything Everywhere' vies for Hollywood's SAG awards on road to Oscars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The movie starring Michelle Yeoh as an exasperated laundry owner trying to finish her taxes is the favorite to take best film ensemble at the SAG awards, according to experts polled by the Gold Derby website. If the movie wins big, that would give it a boost on the way to the Academy Awards on March 12. SAG winners are chosen by members of the SAG-AFTRA acting union, and actors make up the largest group of voters for the Oscars. In television categories, "Better Call Saul," "The Crown," "Ozark," "Severance" and "The White Lotus" will compete for best drama cast. TV comedy nominees for best cast are "Abbott Elementary," "Barry," "The Bear," "Hacks" and "Only Murders in the Building."

☆ Putin's KGB past is key to grasping what he might do next in his failing Ukraine war, ex-spies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Putin's time in the KGB helps explain his worldview and brutal approach to warfare, ex-spies say. As Western intelligence agencies vie to stay two steps ahead of the Russian leader and get inside his head, peering into Putin's KGB past may offer clues on what he's thinking. "Putin's KGB background tells us a lot about how he thinks and how he sees the war. He is a creation of the KGB, and the KGB was a terrorist organization," John Sipher, a former CIA officer who served in Russia, told Insider. The Ukraine war has seen Putin and his propagandists make a series of assertions — ranging from plausible to preposterous — to justify Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Super Rugby finally rolls into the post-COVID era
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Finally freed of the COVID travel restrictions that sounded the death knell to the intercontinental edition and fragmented and disrupted the rump competition, Super Rugby returns in its full new normality on Friday. The second season of Super Rugby Pacific will be played with a host of law variations aimed at making the game more attractive to fans but one aspect of the competition is highly unlikely to change -- New Zealand supremacy. The Canterbury Crusaders dominated Super Rugby in the years pre-pandemic and have proved just as hard to beat with or without fans in the stadiums, through lockdowns, biosecurity protocols and in competition hubs. Despite optimistic noises coming from across the Tasman Sea in Australia, the biggest challenge to the Crusaders is likely to come from the North Island of New Zealand. The forgiving and sometimes derided playoff system that offers knockout rugby to eight of the 12 teams will give hope to all but the most hapless outfits.

Power-hungry aluminium producers in Yunnan and neighbouring provinces were already operating at reduced capacity, some of them since September, dragging down China's national output. The latest cuts will impact around 740,000 tonnes of annual production capacity, adding to the million tonnes already offline, according to industry consultancy Mysteel. Aluminium capacity has grown to around 5.25 million tonnes, making it the fourth largest provincial producer after Shandong, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. January's estimated annualised production was 40.50 million tonnes, a drop of almost one million tonnes over the last five months. Registered inventory on both exchanges has risen fast, cushioning the supply chain from the loss of Chinese production momentum.

The case involves a group of consumers who contend Facebook exploited user data to maintain its market power. Representatives for Quinn Emanuel and Facebook declined to comment, and a spokesperson for Hagens Berman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Scarlett in recent court filings said Quinn Emanuel was not respecting her view as a leading antitrust attorney based on her gender. Quinn Emanuel denied the claim, saying it has "worked very hard to be cooperative with all counsel on the case, including female counsel." Donato started the appointment process from scratch in January amid quarreling between Seattle-based plaintiffs' firm Hagens Berman and 900-lawyer Quinn Emanuel.

SYDNEY/HONG KONG, Feb 20 (Reuters) - New rules laying out how Chinese companies can list outside mainland China will often mean getting a nod from several domestic government agencies, potentially making for a lengthy approval process, investment bankers say. On one hand, the rules provide clarity after a regulatory crackdown by Beijing since mid-2021 that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese firms to a trickle. Those hoops, combined with U.S.-Sino tensions over a multitude of issues from suspected spy balloons to trade friction, means a rush of Chinese firms seeking initial public offerings in New York is unlikely. Last year, U.S. listings of Chinese firms were worth less than $230 million, according to Refinitiv data, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021. "I don't think an overseas listing for the start-up would get the Chinese regulatory nod due to data security.

☆ China formalizes rules for overseas IPOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING – China-based companies now have more clarity on whether they can list overseas in the U.S. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced late Friday new rules that require domestic companies to comply with national security measures and the personal data protection law before going public overseas. The securities regulator's rules do not ban the variable interest entity structure commonly used by Chinese companies when listing in the U.S. The CSRC said its rules for overseas listings are set to take effect March 31. The new rules also call for IPO underwriters, typically international investment banks, to annually report to the CSRC their involvement with Chinese listings overseas.

☆ China publishes rules to revive offshore listings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China's securities watchdog published rules on Friday to regulate offshore listings, reviving foreign initial public offerings (IPOs) by Chinese firms after a regulatory freeze imposed in July 2021. Daniel Tu Active Creation CapitalUnder its new filing system, which effectively ends decades of unregulated overseas IPOs by Chinese companies, the CSRC will vet offshore listings. Friday's rules, amending a December draft, stipulate that overseas listings should not jeopardize China's national interests. Chinese offshore listings ground to a halt after Didi Global Inc's New York listing in June 2021 that triggered Beijing's regulatory backlash over data security concerns. China's tech crackdown also contributed to a near freeze in overseas listings by Chinese companies.

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