TechCrunch
How to watch and what to expect at the Tesla ‘Cyber Roundup’ annual meeting
Tesla will kick off Thursday afternoon its annual meeting — rebranded Cyber Roundup — from its Austin headquarters, an event that promises to deliver customary pomp and pageantry, thumping beats and some newsworthy comments from its CEO Elon Musk. There are 13 shareholder proposals on the agenda, including one for a 3-for-1 stock split. Investors, fans, critics and, well, anyone else can watch the event via livestream on YouTube (right below).
TechCrunch
Pakistan central bank orders startup Tag to refund customers
The State Bank of Pakistan, the South Asian nation’s central bank, has ordered fintech Tag to “immediately” refund all funds to customers citing violation of regulatory requirements and “other concerns,” posing existential questions on the startup’s future. The regulatory action follows a months-long probe into Tag, which offers banking and financial services to users in Pakistan. The startup has been accused of forging documents to the central bank, according to an investor letter obtained by TechCrunch.
Bloomberg
Iran Nuclear Deal Keeps Slipping Further Out of Reach as Talks Resume
(Bloomberg) — The gulf separating Iran and the US has grown wider since the last round of nuclear talks in Vienna, European Union diplomats said as the latest negotiations resume.Most Read from BloombergChina Likely Fired Missiles Over Taiwan in Drills, Japan SaysHow a Celebrity CEO’s Rule of Fear Helped Bring Down Hot Startup ZilingoSneakerhead Accused of Running Huge Air Jordan Ponzi SchemeAt least two new nuclear-related issues have cropped up in recent months, lengthening the list of hurdle
Associated Press
US airman charged in Syria base blast that injured troops
The Air Force has filed criminal charges against an airman in connection with an April explosion that injured U.S. troops at a base in eastern Syria. Sgt. David Dezwaan Jr., an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, is facing several charges including dereliction of duty, destroying military property, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault in the blast that injured four service members.
Associated Press
Israel sends reinforcements to Gaza border as tensions rise
The Israeli military said Thursday it is sending additional forces to the area around the Gaza Strip as it braces for possible attacks after the arrest of a senior militant in the West Bank this week. Authorities closed roads and other areas around Gaza after a raid Monday night, in which troops arrested a senior member of the Islamic Jihad militant group in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin. A Palestinian teenager, who Islamic Jihad claimed as a member, was killed during clashes with the Israeli forces.
Reuters
Pope Francis, slowing down as he ages, appoints personal medical assistant
Pope Francis has appointed a nurse from the Vatican’s health services to be his “personal medical assistant”, the Vatican said on Thursday, in an indication that the pontiff accepts that he will need more care as he ages. Speaking to reporters on the plane returning from a trip to Canada on Saturday, the 85-year-old pope said his advancing age and his difficulty walking have ushered in a new, slower phase of his papacy. In a statement on Thursday the Vatican identified the assistant as Massimiliano Strappetti, coordinator of nurses and the health facilities of the Vatican, a sovereign state surrounded by Rome.
Associated Press
Rights group says Sri Lanka harassed, intimidated protesters
An international human rights group says Sri Lanka’s government is using emergency laws to harass and arbitrarily detain protesters who are seeking political reform and accountability amid the island country’s economic crisis. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement Wednesday that Sri Lanka’s military sought to curtail protests through intimidation, surveillance, and arbitrary arrests of demonstrators, activists, lawyers and journalists since President Ranil Wickremesinghe took office last month.
Reuters
Analysis: Banks are Twitter-deal escape hatch that Musk would struggle with
The banks that agreed to finance Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc have a financial incentive to help the world’s richest person walk away but would face long legal odds, according to people close to the deal and corporate law experts. Twitter has sued Musk to force him to complete the transaction, dismissing his claim that the San Francisco-based company misled him about the number of spam accounts on its social media platform as buyer’s remorse in the wake of a plunge in technology stocks. The Delaware Court of Chancery, where the dispute between the two sides is being litigated, has set a high bar for acquirers being allowed to abandon their deals, and most legal experts have said the arguments in the case favor Twitter.
Reuters Videos
South Korea launches first lunar orbiter on SpaceX rocket
STORY: Location: Cape Canaveral, FloridaSouth Korea has launched its first lunar orbiter as it doubles down on its space programsDate: August 4, 2022The country aims to land a probe on the moon by 2030 and become the world’s seventh lunar explorerThe Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter is nicknamed Danuri, meaning ‘enjoy the Moon’It departed on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in FloridaIt will enter the moon’s orbit in Decemberbefore starting a yearlong observation mission, including searching for a landing site
Associated Press
Russians shell city near Europe’s largest nuclear plant
Russian forces shelled a Ukrainian city close to Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant Thursday, reinforcing warnings from the U.N. nuclear chief that the fighting around the site could lead to a disastrous accident. Dnipropetrovsk’s regional governor said Russia fired 60 rockets at Nikopol, across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which has been under Russian supervision since Moscow’s troops seized it early in the war. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, had warned on Tuesday that the situation was becoming more perilous daily at the Zaporizhzhia plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Reuters
Chip makers have a message for car makers: Your turn to pay
The shortages of computer chips that forced global automakers to scrap production plans for millions of cars over the past two years are easing – at a new and permanent cost to the car companies. What had been “war room operations” to manage chip shortages are becoming embedded features of vehicle development, say executives in both industries. Newly created teams at the likes of General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG and Ford Motor Co are negotiating directly with chipmakers.
CoinDesk
Lessons From the Turkish Government’s Hasty Attempt to Regulate Cryptocurrencies
The Turkish government’s ambitious plan to restrict the use of cryptocurrencies to protect the local currency, the Turkish lira, faced a strong challenge from the crypto communities in the country. It’s a rare example of grassroots action effectively pressuring the government, and may provide a valuable lesson for lawmakers and organizers in other countries. Despite President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing urgency in December about regulating cryptocurrencies, a bill has not been introduced yet.
AFP
Iraq’s Sadr demands new polls as political crisis escalates
Powerful Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, whose bloc won the most seats in Iraq’s elections last year, demanded Wednesday that parliament be dissolved and new national polls be called. Nearly 10 months on from the last elections, the country still has no government, new prime minister or new president, due to repeated squabbles between factions over forming a coalition. In the latest political turmoil to strike the oil-rich but war-scarred nation, Sadr called for a “revolutionary and peaceful process, then early democratic elections after a dissolution of parliament”. His televised speech came as calls for dialogue intensify after his supporters occupied parliament for a fifth consecutive day, in protest at a nomination for prime minister by a rival Shiite faction, the Iran-backed Coordination Framework. However, parliament can only be dissolved by a majority vote, according to the constitution. Such a vote can take place at the request of a third of lawmakers, or by the prime minster with the president’s agreement. “I am certain that the majority of the population is exasperated by the ruling class in its entirety, including some (politicians) belonging to my movement”, Sadr said. “From now on there will be no more old-guard politicians, whatever their affiliation,” he added. Sadr’s bloc emerged from elections in October as the biggest faction, but it was still far short of a majority. In June, his 73 lawmakers quit, ostensibly in a bid to break the political logjam. Sadr, who once led an anti-US militia and who has millions of devoted followers, noted also that he had “no interest” in negotiating with his rivals. – ‘Risk of escalation’ – Along with their sit-in, the cleric’s supporters have set up an encampment outside parliament with tents and food stalls, and Sadr on Wednesday called on them to continue. “The revolutionaries and protesters participating in the sit-in must stay and continue their camp until the demands are realised,” he said. In multi-confessional and multi-ethnic Iraq, government formation has involved complex negotiations since a 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. The resignation of Sadr’s lawmakers led to the pro-Iran bloc becoming the largest in parliament, but still there was no agreement on new top posts. The Sadrist camp was outraged by the Coordination Framework last week nominating former minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani as prime minister. The Coordination Framework is a grouping that includes former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, a long-standing foe of Sadr, and the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary network now integrated into the security forces. Outgoing prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi has called for a “national dialogue” in a bid to bring all sides together to talk, and on Wednesday he spoke with President Barham Saleh. Both men stressed the importance of “guaranteeing security and stability” in the country, according to the Iraqi News Agency. Sadr’s foe Maliki said late Wednesday “serious dialogue giving hope for resolving differences… begins with respect for constitutional inistitutions”. Thousands of Coordination Framework supporters have held counter-protests in Baghdad against the occupation of parliament. “Don’t believe the rumours that I don’t want dialogue,” Sadr said on Wednesday. “But we have already tried and experienced dialogue with them,” he added. “It has brought nothing to us and to the nation — only ruin and corruption.” Earlier on Wednesday, the United Nations mission in Iraq called on leaders to “prioritise (the) national interest” and end the long-running power struggle. “Meaningful dialogue among all Iraqi parties is now more urgent than ever, as recent events have demonstrated the rapid risk of escalation in this tense political climate,” the UN mission warned. French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke with political leaders on Wednesday, saying that “dialogue and consultation” was the only way out of the crisis. lk/tgg/pjm/dwo
Associated Press
Part of Beirut’s giant silos collapses, 2 years after blast
A large block of Beirut’s giant port grain silos, shredded by a massive explosion two years ago, collapsed on Thursday as hundreds marched in the Lebanese capital to mark the second anniversary of the blast that killed scores. The northern block of the silos, consisting of four towers, had been slowly tilting for days before it collapsed, causing a huge cloud of dust. The silos had shielded Beirut’s western neighborhoods in the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion that killed nearly 220 people, injured over 6,000 and caused damage worth billions of dollars.
Bloomberg
The US-Led Drive to Isolate Russia and China Is Falling Short
(Bloomberg) — When Group of Seven leaders gathered in the Bavarian Alps in June, they pledged to stand with Ukraine for the long haul.Most Read from BloombergChina Likely Fired Missiles Over Taiwan in Drills, Japan SaysHow a Celebrity CEO’s Rule of Fear Helped Bring Down Hot Startup ZilingoSneakerhead Accused of Running Huge Air Jordan Ponzi SchemeTheir Group of 20 counterparts are proving less supportive. Comprising nations that account for some 85% of global economic output, the G-20 is suppo
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