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☆ Column: The devil's metal strikes again in Trafigura nickel fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Andy Home | Thomson Reuters | Senior Metals Columnist Who Previously Covered Industrial Metals Markets For Metals Week | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Appearances can be deceptive when it comes to nickel, as Trafigura has just found out half a millennium later. Just as it's impossible to say whether some of the recent price volatility on the LME nickel contract was down to Trafigura restructuring hedge positions. The problem is that LME nickel trading has been volatile and unpredictable ever since last year's meltdown. There is now also a growing crisis of confidence in the world of physical nickel trading. Nickel could really do with a reputational break but recent history suggests it's just a matter of time before the devil's metal strikes again.

☆ Singapore posts worst non-oil domestic exports in a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports plunged 25% year on year in January — their largest drop in 10 years. Government data showed Singapore's non-oil exports to its top markets led the wider decline, with exports to China falling by more than 41%, to the U.S. by 31.5% and to Hong Kong by more than 55% for the month. Non-oil retained exports also fell 10.4% in January, following the 7.2% decline in December. Total trade also fell by 10.4% year on year, with total exports dropping 9.6% and imports contracting by 11.3%. The Singapore dollar weakened slightly after the release and the Straits Times index traded marginally higher in Friday's morning trade.

☆ Expect to see better earnings from Straits Times Index constituents: Singapore Exchange
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | 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 EmailExpect to see better earnings from Straits Times Index constituents: Singapore ExchangeNg Yao Loong, chief financial officer at the Singapore Exchange, says it is "situated in the right part of Asia," and better performance can be expected if economic conditions permit and if those constituents are able to execute their growth plans.

☆ Rose eyes Ryder Cup return after first PGA Tour win in four years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Feb 6, 2023; Pebble Beach, CA, USA; Justin Rose with the championship trophy following the continuation of the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Rose finished ahead of Americans Brendon Todd and Brandon Wu to lift his first trophy since the Farmers Insurance Open in 2019 and 11th on the PGA Tour. "I haven't even entertained what the Ryder Cup looks like for me, other than I want to be there," Rose said. "What was really important to me was getting off to a good start on the PGA Tour so I wasn't under pressure later in the season, so I could turn my attentions to the Ryder Cup and the European Tour. I thought the simple way to approach it was try to play my way into the top 50 in the world," said Rose, whose victory moved him up to 35.

☆ New US Marine units are taking position on 'key terrain' around Taiwan as tensions rise with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The US and Japan said in January that a Marine Littoral Regiment will be set up in Japan by 2025. A Marine Littoral Regiment will also hold a major exercise in the northern Philippines this spring. That unit, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, is the second of three Marine Littoral Regiments planned for the Indo-Pacific region, the first of which was activated in March 2022 and is based in Hawaii. Within weeks of its activation, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment was participating in the US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan. Members of 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii in August 2022.

☆ US Marines are taking position on 'key terrain' around Taiwan as tensions rise with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The US and Japan said in January that a Marine Littoral Regiment will be set up in Japan by 2025. That unit, the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, is the second of three Marine Littoral Regiments planned for the Indo-Pacific region, the first of which was activated in March 2022 and is based in Hawaii. Within weeks of its activation, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment was participating in the US-Philippine military exercise Balikatan. New threat, new forceUS Marines provide security for an amphibious landing during Balikatan 22 in northern Luzon in March 2022. US Marines during an amphibious landing as part of Balikatan 22 in northern Luzon in March 2022.

☆ Onions are now so expensive in the Philippines that they've become a luxury item — and people have been trying to smuggle them across the border
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Onions are now a luxury item in the Philippines. The price of onions soared to $12.80 per kilogram in December, three times the price of chicken. Local authorities seized between $9 million and $11 million worth of smuggled onions in 2022. According to the country's Department of Agriculture, on January 9, onions were going for 600 pesos, or $11, per kilogram. Local authorities seized between $9 million and $11 million worth of smuggled onions in 2022, The Guardian reported.

☆ The Communities That Risked Everything to Rescue Jews
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Richard Hurowitz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A 1943 photograph of refugee children in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France, with some of the adults who cared for them. Did King Christian X of Denmark actually wear a Star of David badge in solidarity with his Jewish subjects during the Nazi occupation of 1940-45? Religious bigotry was anathema in Denmark, and to avoid trouble, the Nazis had initially agreed to stand down from persecuting the country’s Jews. When Hitler himself finally ordered a round-up in October 1943, Danes came together to mount a massive clandestine rescue, transporting their Jewish neighbors in an amateur flotilla across the straits to safety in Sweden. Almost all Danish Jews survived the war.

☆ Twitter is bracing for further layoffs as Elon Musk shrinks the employee headcount to its lowest level in over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter is seeing rolling layoffs despite Elon Musk's claims that he was done laying people off. Musk says Twitter is in dire financial straits. Layoffs are picking up again at Twitter about six weeks after Elon Musk told his new employees he was done with such actions. By the end of these cuts, the company could see its lowest headcount in over a decade. Employees are expecting that plans to close many international offices and several smaller offices in the U.S. will result in even more layoffs.

☆ Love named as second U.S. vice captain for 2023 Ryder Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Love boasts a wealth of Ryder Cup experience having played in the biennial competition between the United States and Europe six times before serving as captain in 2012 and 2016. Johnson, named captain last February, previously named his predecessor Steve Stricker as the first of his vice captains. "The Ryder Cup is one of the truly special events in all of sports, and I am so honored to be named a vice captain in Italy in 2023," said Love, who also served as vice captain in 2010, 2018 and 2021. "Zach has worked tirelessly since he was named captain, and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to help Zach and the entire U.S. The 2023 Ryder Cup will be played from Sept. 25-Oct. 1 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.

☆ Twitter is auctioning off espresso machines and kegerators from its San Francisco headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk Twitter page seen on mobile with his poll to step down as head of TwitterTwitter is auctioning off espresso machines, kegerators, computers, and even oversized neon displays with the company's logo as the social messaging service reportedly has fallen behind on office rent payments. Among the numerous kitchen supplies that Twitter is selling includes a rotisserie cooker, multiple refrigerators and pizza ovens. The company is even selling a neon electrical sign that prominently displays the company's corporate bird logo. As of Monday afternoon, someone has placed a bid of $17,500 for the neon sign. In December, The New York Times reported that Twitter had stopped paying for rent in all of the company's office space.

☆ 'Seriously doubt' imminent invasion of Taiwan by China -Pentagon chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday he seriously doubted that ramped up Chinese military activities near the Taiwan Strait were a sign of an imminent invasion of the island by Beijing. "We've seen increased aerial activity in the straits, we've seen increased surface vessel activity around Taiwan," Austin said during a press conference alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Japanese counterparts. "But whether or not that means that an invasion is imminent, you know, I seriously doubt that," Austin said. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How Anti-Abortion Activists Bought Access to the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

In exchange for as little as a few thousand dollars in contributions to the nonprofit, these people received easy access to events where Supreme Court justices would be. Supreme Court Historical society trustee Jay Sekulow, center, represented President Trump during the latter's impeachment trial in 2020. Anti-abortion advocates cheer in front of the Supreme Court after the decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores was announced in 2014. Alito did not respond to a request for comment on his involvement in the Supreme Court Historical Society. Supreme Court justices, though, aren't even required to stay within those weak guardrails because no code of ethics governs justices' behavior.

☆ Tesla isn't Apple, Elon Musk isn't Steve Jobs, and its cars aren't the next iPhone
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Analysts and industry observers have compared Tesla and CEO Elon Musk to Apple and Steve Jobs. Tesla isn't the next AppleBoth Apple and Tesla had a first-mover advantage, another reason so many analysts like to draw parallels between the two brands. When Tesla emerged with top-selling electric cars, the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3, held a commanding market share in North America. A shrinking market share isn't disastrous for Tesla — part of the reason Tesla's market share will shrink is that every auto maker will be selling a lot more EVs. The world's largest automaker, Toyota, had a market share of just 10.5% in 2021 — nowhere near the 55% market share Apple holds in the US.

☆ U.S. embassy in Cuba resumes full immigrant visa processing for first time since 2017
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] People wait in line to enter the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Havana resumed full immigrant visa processing and consular services for the first time since 2017 on Wednesday in a bid to stem the record-breaking flow of illegal migrants from Cuba north to the United States. Cubans were instead required to travel to Guyana for visa processing, a costly trip well out of reach for most on the island. The U.S. embassy in Havana began limited visa processing last year and in September announced the 2023 full reopening, to "ensure safe, legal, and orderly migration of Cubans," it said. Cuba and the United States have also resumed once-regular talks on migration in a bid to tamp down the flow.

☆ Rahm wants joint decision on LIV players at Ryder Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - The PGA Tour and Europe's DP World Tour must be on the same page in deciding whether players from the breakaway LIV Series can take part in the Ryder Cup, former U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm said. The U.S.-based PGA Tour has suspended those who joined the rebel circuit but the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, has yet to decide whether LIV players can play in the Ryder Cup. Spaniard Rahm said it would not be a smart move to have one team with LIV players and one without. "We saw a younger U.S. team last Ryder Cup and they did what they did. So I'm hoping these younger guys who've grown up watching the Ryder Cup and seeing their idols ... it energises the team a little in any manner and we show up there to win."

☆ Singapore is set to hike its goods and services tax in January. Here's how it will work
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Natalie Tham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Singapore's goods and services tax will be raised to 8% in January 2023. Ore Huiying | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCome Jan. 1, Singapore will raise its goods and services tax, otherwise known as the GST, from 7% to 8%. The GST is a consumption tax imposed on nearly all goods and services in Singapore. With the change, all goods and services imported into Singapore, including imported goods purchased online, will be subject to the tax. Economists who spoke to CNBC held conflicting views on whether the tax hike will hit the nation's lowest earners harder than others.

☆ How Amazon's cloud unit is helping researchers analyze genetics
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon Web Services recently launched general availability for Amazon Omics, which helps researchers store and analyze omic data like sequences of DNA, RNA and proteins. Amazon Omics helps researchers sort through their data by providing them with three components that they can leverage individually or as a collective. More than a dozen customers and partners tested a beta version of the service and are already using Amazon Omics. He said the department spent five years expanding the infrastructure to analyze omics data, and now it's no longer something they need to build or maintain themselves. C2i is a biotechnology company that's working to use genomic data to develop personalized treatments for cancer.

☆ The tunnels and bridges linking Asia to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Lisa Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Sometimes called FSM Köprüsü, it’s another gravity-anchored steel suspension bridge similar in length to the First Bridge and costing a similar toll fee to use. Yavuz Sultan Selim BridgeThe Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge opened in 2016. irina lepnyova/Adobe StockIn 2016, a third suspension bridge opened up across the Bosphorus, near the Black Sea. With a 58.8-meter-wide single deck slab, it is the world’s widest suspension bridge, able to carry eight lanes of traffic and a double-track railway line. Çannakale 1915 BridgeThe 1915 Canakkale Bridge has the world's longest suspension bridge span. Measuring just short of 2.3 miles, it now claims the world record for the longest suspension bridge span.

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☆ Meet a couple living on disability and $500 per month from a guaranteed-income program for families hurt financially by the pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A couple from Minnesota gets by on disability benefits and a basic-income program aimed at parents. The St. Paul pilot program launched in 2020 provides 150 families $500 per month for 18 months. The possibilities opened up for their family when Malissa was chosen for a guaranteed-income pilot program in her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. Money from guaranteed-income programs does not typically affect one's eligibility for public-assistance programs in the way employment can. The couple has been supporting their family on about $2,000 per month in disability income because of mental-health issues and complications from a childhood case of spinal meningitis.

☆ Congress created an actual safety net for Americans during the last crisis. Don't expect that to happen again.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Congress enhanced unemployment benefits and gave parents monthly checks during the first two years of the pandemic. For Maggie Lopez, a single mother in Texas, the checks meant some breathing room for her and her newborn. The enhanced unemployment had a ripple effect, according to Evermore: People were able to stay home safely. In the case of enhanced unemployment, some states decided to end their participation in federal programs early, leaving many workers in dire straits. After Congress failed to renew a reduced version of the child tax credit at the end of 2021, child poverty once again ticked up.

☆ Listen to 'the bloop,' a strange noise recorded in the southern Pacific Ocean that stumped scientists for years
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In 1997, NOAA scientists recorded a haunting, strange sound in the southern Pacific Ocean's depths. These underwater microphones the US Navy originally developed were 2,000 miles apart in the Pacific Ocean. Below, you can listen to the bloop sped up 16 times:Over the years, theories about the mysterious ocean sound's origin abounded. An adult blue whale swimming in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Icequakes occur when glaciers fracture in the ocean, cracking ice.

“The magnitude of the flow is unprecedented and unheard of,” said Jorge Duany, director of Florida International University’s Cuba Research Institute. Over 6,000 Cuban migrants were interdicted at sea in 2021 while attempting to cross the Florida straits in makeshift boats. Recent migrants have been staying with relatives until they’re able to find work and a room or efficiency to rent. “It’s basically chaos,” said Angel Leal, an immigration attorney in Miami with a large volume of Cuban clients. But previous waves of Cuban migrants, like those who came in the 1990s during the rafter crisis, also leaned Democratic and then ultimately turned Republican.

Higher interest rates are fattening profits from regular banking, while there has been a decline in M&A deals. In both those years, the investment bank made close to 40% of revenue and more than 75% of pre-tax profit. The bank's corporate and retail businesses, meanwhile, stagnated under ultra-low interest rates that lasted longer than expected. Deutsche Bank is under scrutiny for its controls to prevent money laundering, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Deutsche Bank has also been under pressure from regulators to rein in its leveraged finance business, where credit is extended to already indebted borrowers.

☆ Scaloni heads into final as the coach who made Messi and Argentina smile again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"He can't even direct traffic, how come he will direct the national team. They have since created a bond that has allowed a rejuvenated Messi to enjoy his best years with the national team. It was that which arguably gave them the foundation to regroup after their shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their World Cup opener. Representing my country is an emotional thing," Scaloni told reporters after Argentina swept past Croatia 3-0 in their World Cup semi-final. Thanks to Scaloni's acumen, Argentina are on the brink of glory - and while Messi will claim the attention, his coach deserves his share of the plaudits.

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