Fintech Focus For August 13, 2020

Associated Press
US says it's reviewing new information about Israeli unit accused of abuses before Gaza war
The U.S. has determined that an Israeli military unit committed gross human-rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank before the war in Gaza began six months ago, but it will hold off on any decision about aid to the battalion while it reviews new information provided by Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson. The undated letter, obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, defers a decision by the U.S. whether to impose a first-ever block on U.S. aid to an Israeli military unit over its treatment of Palestinians. Blinken stressed that U.S. military support for Israel’s defense against Hamas and other threats would not be affected by the State Department's final decision on the one unit.
17m ago
AFP
Poland trumpets its Van Gogh, once peddled for a beer
Poland opened an art show Friday to celebrate its only Van Gogh painting, a rare early landscape worth millions that was once hawked by a pedlar for the price of a beer.The small oil painting -- also known as "Farmhouses Among Trees" -- is "interesting for its modesty and for showing a whole different side to Van Gogh," said Agata Smolnicka, co-curator of the Warsaw show.
17m ago
NBC News
Key Fed inflation measure rose 2.8% in March from a year ago, more than expected
Inflation showed little signs of letting up in March, with a key barometer the Federal Reserve watches closely showing that price pressures remain elevated.
25m ago
Reuters
Support for South Africa's ANC near 40% weeks before election, Ipsos poll shows
Support for South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has fallen to just over 40%, an Ipsos opinion poll showed, weeks before a general election that could usher in the biggest political change since the end of the apartheid era. While the ANC is still on track to win the most votes on May 29, if it gets less than 50% support it would have to seek one or more coalition partners to govern the country, the first such alliance since the party swept to power under liberation hero Nelson Mandela 30 years ago.
29m ago
Time
The Challenges of Election Coverage Present Opportunities
In an unprecedented year, the core of journalism remains the same
29m ago
AFP
US oil giants' profits dip as Exxon deal nears finish line
ExxonMobil and Chevron both reported a dip in profits Friday on lower refining margins and natural gas prices, but ExxonMobil's big takeover appears on track to close before Chevron's. While ExxonMobil's Pioneer deal appears on the cusp of closing, Chevron's proposed $53 billion takeover of Hess hit a speedbump following a challenge from ExxonMobil.
30m ago
Time
What Professors Owe Our Students Right Now
"If we are to reclaim our university, faculty and students must do it together," writes Barnard professor Nara Milanich.
31m ago
AFP
Herds of endangered hippos trapped in mud in drought-hit Botswana
Herds of endangered hippos stuck in the mud of dried-up ponds are in danger of dying in drought-struck Botswana, conservation authorities told AFP Friday.Near the vast wetlands of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, the dried-up Thamalakane River has forced herds of hippos to head for natural water reserves close to the tourist town of Maun.
35m ago
NBC News
Meta's big, expensive AI bet hinges on giving its models away for free
Meta is spending big on artificial intelligence — only to offer its latest advanced AI models to the public for free.
38m ago
Associated Press
Owner of exploding Michigan building arrested at airport while trying to leave US, authorities say
The owner of a suburban Detroit business that caught fire and exploded, killing a man, was arrested at a New York airport as he was preparing to depart for Hong Kong on a one-way ticket, authorities said Friday. U.S. Customs and New York Port Authority personnel arrested Noor Noel Kestou, 31, on Saturday at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Kestou, of Commerce Township, was arraigned Thursday on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
38m ago
USA TODAY
Far-right influencers claim student protests are violent. Experts have different worries
Plus: More fake-elector indictments; FBI's controversial report on radical Catholics. It's the week in extremism, from USA TODAY.
40m ago
CBS News
U.K. man charged with "Russia-backed arson" attack in London
A 20-year-old British man has been charged with plotting an arson attack on a Ukraine-linked target in London at the behest of Russia.
41m ago
Yahoo Finance
New inflation reading reinforces Fed's higher-for-longer stance
Another hot inflation reading released Friday reinforces that any near-term interest rate cuts are less likely, as the Federal Reserve shifts to a higher-for-longer stance.
50m ago
AFP
France, Germany sign deal on 'tank of the future'
France and Germany on Friday firmed up plans to jointly develop a next-generation battle tank equipped with artificial intelligence and laser technology, billed as a game changer in modern warfare.In 2017, Germany and France agreed to jointly develop the next-generation battle tank as a successor to the French Leclerc and German Leopard tanks, starting in 2040.
50m ago
AFP
Junta-led Burkina Faso suspends BBC, Voice of America for two weeks
Burkina Faso has suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio networks from broadcasting after they aired a rights report accusing the army of attacks on civilians in its battle against jihadists.It said the decision had been taken because BBC Africa and the VOA had aired and also published a report on their digital platforms "accusing the Burkina army of abuses against the civilian population".
55m ago
AFP
Russia targets Ukraine railways as Western aid due to arrive
Ukraine warned Friday that Moscow was ramping up attacks on railways in a bid to disrupt military supplies ahead of a fresh Russian offensive while Kyiv waits for new US weapon deliveries.The Russian defence ministry said Friday that a strike on Udachne in the Donetsk region had targeted what it said were "Western weapons and military equipment" being transported by railway.
1h ago
AFP
At least 10 people killed in Brazil fire: officials
At least 10 people were killed Friday in a fire that broke out in a defunct hotel being used as a makeshift homeless shelter in the city of Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, officials said.The fire broke out around 2:00 am (0500 GMT), officials said.
1h ago
Reuters
Azerbaijan's Aliyev rejects criticism over journalists' arrests
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on Friday rejected criticism over the arrests of journalists and said the fact that people had access to the internet meant press freedom was assured. "We must protect our media landscape from external negative influences, just like any other country, and everyone must comply with the laws," Aliyev told a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a visit to Berlin. It was the first time Aliyev had spoken publicly about the arrests, which have prompted strong concern from the United States, the European Union and press watchdogs.
1h ago
AFP
Spanish PM keeps country guessing on his future
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has suspended all duties and gone silent while he considers whether to step down on Monday over a graft investigation against his wife. Sanchez said he would suspend all public duties until he announces his decision on Monday and the normally hyperactive premier has since remained out of sight and silent.
1h ago
AFP
Defense attorneys grill tabloid head in Trump hush money trial
A former tabloid publisher who squashed potentially embarrassing stories about Donald Trump was back on the witness stand on Friday being grilled by lawyers of the former US president."We didn't want the story to embarrass Mr. Trump or hurt his campaign."
1h ago

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