<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8Ab2fniYX1LMiTt-SPNcljyB-NxzIH1dlQTxEvcspfJZA-dwAY1rGM3kB4TV9RsJFUZg-x_0n7tfSr8j-WBwrBpsKE543Zdyd75jKXHVcGwSjeuqaueLN4BpkzkxjM3ik7yYdc9yCr_qRRy32QlvV9DtvFZefdtdqiYPTvpZHgVUVFKfbADao2NjVIQ=s960" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="crypto currency" border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="960" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8Ab2fniYX1LMiTt-SPNcljyB-NxzIH1dlQTxEvcspfJZA-dwAY1rGM3kB4TV9RsJFUZg-x_0n7tfSr8j-WBwrBpsKE543Zdyd75jKXHVcGwSjeuqaueLN4BpkzkxjM3ik7yYdc9yCr_qRRy32QlvV9DtvFZefdtdqiYPTvpZHgVUVFKfbADao2NjVIQ=w640-h394" title="crypto currency" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Representations of virtual cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration taken November 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo<span><a name='more'></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span face=""Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;">Russia's central bank on Thursday proposed banning the use and mining of cryptocurrencies </span><span face=""Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;">on Russian territory, citing threats to financial stability, citizens' wellbeing and its monetary policy sovereignty.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">The move is the latest in a global cryptocurrency crackdown as governments from Asia to the United States worry that privately operated highly volatile digital currencies could undermine their control of financial and monetary systems.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">Russia has argued for years against cryptocurrencies, saying they could be used in money laundering or to finance terrorism. It eventually gave them legal status in 2020 but banned their use as a means of payment.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">In December, the price of bitcoin fell after Reuters reported, citing sources, that Russia's regulator was in favour of a complete ban on cryptocurrencies.</p><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300"></iframe><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">In a report published on Thursday, the central bank said speculative demand primarily determined cryptocurrencies' rapid growth and that they carried characteristics of a financial pyramid, warning that bubbles in the market could form, threatening financial stability and citizens.</p><div class="collapse show" id="viewFullText" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Encode Sans", system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", "Liberation Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">The bank proposed preventing financial institutions from carrying out any operations with cryptocurrencies and said mechanisms should be developed to block transactions aimed at buying or selling cryptocurrencies for fiat, or traditional currencies. The proposed ban includes crypto exchanges.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">Russians are active cryptocurrency users, the central bank said, with an annual transaction volume of about $5 billion.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">CRYPTO MINING</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">Russia is the world's third-largest player in bitcoin mining, behind the United States and Kazakhstan, though the latter may see a miner exodus over fears of tightening regulation following unrest earlier this month. read more</p><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300"></iframe><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">The central bank said crypto mining created problems for energy consumption. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are "mined" by powerful computers that compete against others hooked up to a global network to solve complex mathematical puzzles. The process guzzles electricity and is often powered by fossil fuels.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">"The best solution is to introduce a ban on cryptocurrency mining in Russia," the bank said.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">In August, Russia accounted for 11.2% of the global "hashrate" - crypto jargon for the amount of computing power being used by computers connected to the bitcoin network.</p><iframe 0px="" 2em="" border-box="" box-sizing:="" margin-bottom:="" margin-top:="" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=<p style=">In its report, the central bank pointed to steps taken in other countries, such as China, to curb cryptocurrency activity. It said it would work with regulators in countries where crypto exchanges are registered to collect information about the operations of Russian clients.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">In September, China intensified its crackdown on cryptocurrencies with a blanket ban on all crypto transactions and mining, hitting bitcoin and other major coins and pressuring crypto and blockchain-related stocks.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">Russia's regulator said crypto assets becoming widespread would limit the sovereignty of monetary policy, with higher interest rates needed to contain inflation.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">It said the long-term potential of cryptocurrencies being used for settlements was limited.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 0px;">Meanwhile, the Bank of Russia is planning to issue its own digital rouble, joining the global trend to develop digital currencies to modernise financial systems, speed up payments and counter a potential threat from other cryptocurrencies.</p></div></iframe></div>
January 20th, 2022 07:56 AM
<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtLVcH_A9q2YQ__psyh8BogJlVDkNaNwikt9hYvm5HnHfjF-rBxw3XC9bx09njmMS3-3U80p3ODTNfsqrPQrY1Nq1ecNX1wTlmB-PwPvolI_ceqPaCv9axrJcvyUarP58iCjweH9bQwSMcpDLBQVzDWEj__46BtnU1a09ODeZccZ2G58-eeiOG2GRV9Q=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><img alt="tiktok" border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="960" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtLVcH_A9q2YQ__psyh8BogJlVDkNaNwikt9hYvm5HnHfjF-rBxw3XC9bx09njmMS3-3U80p3ODTNfsqrPQrY1Nq1ecNX1wTlmB-PwPvolI_ceqPaCv9axrJcvyUarP58iCjweH9bQwSMcpDLBQVzDWEj__46BtnU1a09ODeZccZ2G58-eeiOG2GRV9Q=w640-h408" title="tiktok" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Tik Tok logos are seen on smartphones in front of a displayed ByteDance logo in this illustration taken November 27, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">TikTok owner ByteDance saw its revenue grow 70% year on year to about $58 billion in 2021, slower growth than a year earlier as China tightens its regulation of big tech companies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">According to two people familiar with the matter the numbers were revealed to a small group of employees at an internal meeting of the social media giant this week .</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">In 2020, the Beijing-based company's total revenue grew by over 100% to $34.3 billion, Reuters has reported. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Chinese tech companies from Tencent to Alibaba have reported slowing growth amid a sweeping crackdown by the country's regulators, who have rolled out new rules for how they operate and interact with their users. </span></p><p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">According to a recent report by market research firm Interactive Marketing Lab Zhongguancun, </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">ByteDance held its second position in China's online advertising market last year with a 21% market share.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The number one position was still held by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group (9988.HK), and third place went to gaming giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK), according to the report.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The overall growth of online ad sales in China declined to 9.3% in 2021 from 13.8% a year earlier, the report says.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Tech news website The Information last November reported that ByteDance's 2021 revenue was on track to rise about 60% to 400 billion yuan ($63.07 billion).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">ByteDance is one of the world's biggest private tech companies with recent trades in the private-equity secondary market valuing it at about $300 billion, Reuters has reported.</span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Following Beijing's antitrust efforts, ByteDance has recently been downsizing its powerful investment arm. read more</span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">In November, ByteDance reorganised itself into six business units in its biggest organizational change since ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming said in May he would step down as CEO. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Besides TikTok, ByteDance's other apps include its Chinese equivalent Douyin, news aggregator Jinri Toutiao and video-streaming platform Xigua.</span></p><p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=adee9769ea74eb59e82d4f0cb2e6f816" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">In 2021, users spent approximately $2.3 billion in TikTok and the iOS version of Douyin, a 77% jump year-over-year, according to app tracker Sensor Tower.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"> </span></p>
January 20th, 2022 07:46 AM
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOVcHx2oH4oDLrIoPAItg9GEqW5aQ8melSy8hL0bHHac27mM5lsg8rrSSxruLmfk_O3yOcKFpwpuxu-W-eQun4JWZd6NyrBPg2CYu_W2tYWx9CPA6XjFKmasMprUdQKOJWqExuKHa7P6i55sceihiEBH5sCzTOgtoBncJnbt3Q98MX3hxvRPCx55j7CQ=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="microsoft" border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="960" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOVcHx2oH4oDLrIoPAItg9GEqW5aQ8melSy8hL0bHHac27mM5lsg8rrSSxruLmfk_O3yOcKFpwpuxu-W-eQun4JWZd6NyrBPg2CYu_W2tYWx9CPA6XjFKmasMprUdQKOJWqExuKHa7P6i55sceihiEBH5sCzTOgtoBncJnbt3Q98MX3hxvRPCx55j7CQ=w640-h404" title="microsoft" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption">Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration<span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Hedge funds, which make profits by speculating on precarious takeovers, got a treat this week when Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) agreed to buy "call of duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) for US$68.7 billion dollars in cash. The transaction requires antitrust laws. <p>Approved in the United States and other major jurisdictions, including the European Union and China. It comes at a time when President Joe Biden's administration is taking a closer look at large mergers, blaming some of them for raising prices to consumers that are fueling inflation.</p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p>Activision's shares ended trading at $82.15 on Wednesday, well below the $95 per share deal price, reflecting concerns that regulators may shoot down a combination that would create the third biggest gaming company, after Tencent and Sony Group Corp (6758.T).</p><p><br /></p><p>This infers a 57% chance of the deal closing, based on Activision's closing share price of $65.39 before the deal was announced.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wide spread gives investors willing to bet on whether the deal will be completed the opportunity to score double-digit returns. At a time when so-called merger arbitrage strategies have trailed the broader stock market's returns, it is an attractive but also risky proposition.</p><p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /></p><p>Last year, merger arbitrage funds returned nearly 10% according to Hedge Fund Research data, beating returns posted in 2020, 2019 and 2018, but trailing the broader S&P 500 stock market's 27% gain in 2021.</p><p><br /></p><p>For some investors, Aon's (AON.N) scuttled $30 billion acquisition of Willis Towers Watson (WTY.F) as the U.S. Justice Department sued to block the deal hurt returns.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now they are looking to come back, hoping that this deal will also force competitors into making deals of their own.</p><p>"The positive outlook for event-driven and merger-arbitrage oriented firms in 2022 has been accelerated with the Microsoft-Activision deal," said Hedge Fund Research Inc President Ken Heinz.</p><p><br /></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p>Microsoft and Activision gave themselves until June 2023 to complete the transaction, giving hedge funds months to handicap how regulators will react to Microsoft bundling its Xbox platform with Activision's popular games, such as World of Warcraft and Diablo.</p><p><br /></p><p>Investors may get hints on the Biden administration's stance soon as the Federal Trade Commission is expected to weigh in on defense contractor Lockheed Martin's (LMT.N) planned $4.4 billion acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD.N) and the Justice Department will decide on healthcare insurer UnitedHealth's (UNH.N)$13 billion bid for healthcare analytics and technology vendor Change Healthcare (CHNG.O).</p><p>Coverage finds such as Millennium, Tiesemann consultant and pentwater capital spend a piece of their fusion bets, and many have occupied Microsoft and Activision for some time.Mutual funds The Merger Fund run by Westchester Capital Management and The Arbitrage Funds run by Water Island Capital offer similar strategies.</p>
January 20th, 2022 07:33 AM
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD9DfKyK2b79rG5Ilys16ICvFj8gM-D1xinKLWrfuATQMtl7gb6IjT7iF7VWUZcp3fgP9xqyPYc4LSFKbS_JI-tBevIjfsnmZq-nB5nsIumFuzipxHqLO8DEioKaJV-X9Mfd3movK0jfXLOKDIQxdqY9XTaxiQj0NWSwgUe0YxDFFt0Uq0h6rLAXOpXA=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="960" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD9DfKyK2b79rG5Ilys16ICvFj8gM-D1xinKLWrfuATQMtl7gb6IjT7iF7VWUZcp3fgP9xqyPYc4LSFKbS_JI-tBevIjfsnmZq-nB5nsIumFuzipxHqLO8DEioKaJV-X9Mfd3movK0jfXLOKDIQxdqY9XTaxiQj0NWSwgUe0YxDFFt0Uq0h6rLAXOpXA=w640-h418" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption">A doctor vaccinates a person with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Vienna, Austria April 26, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner<span><a name='more'></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Austria's conservative government said Thursday it was launching a national lottery to encourage holdouts to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, hours before parliament passed legislation that would introduce a national vaccination mandate. </p><p>About 72% of the Austrian population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in Western Europe. "What's up for grabs in the Vaccine Fleet?" Vouchers!”</p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p> This is what Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer said at a press conference of the social democratic opposition leader Pamela Rendi Wagner, with whom the measure was being negotiated.</p><p>Nehammer said he wanted there to be a financial reward for getting vaccinated, adding: “We have learned from the past and we have seen that a vaccination lottery is the best possible way to set up such a system.”</p><p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /></p><p>Members of the public, whether already vaccinated or not, would be entitled to one ticket for each shot they have had – three in total for those who have had their booster shot.</p><p><br /><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p><p>Every 10th ticket would win a 500 euro ($568) gift voucher, Nehammer said, adding it would cost up to 1 billion euros. He later added on Twitter that the vouchers could be used in “retail, tourism, hospitality, services, culture and sport”.</p><p><br /></p><p>Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said the aim was to support Austrian businesses and avoid online retailers as much as possible.</p>
January 20th, 2022 07:17 AM
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGPSw-gqdXm3ggxSqqngjC9BNOVihg6P6BpwDE69rjwxOpirDIir_FhikFefVCOfErji8hHRT5Uw9pH2nimYQ5Vkm9RmB16p0sO8vY-Yul58ZHjhE8PnkBFqho5I2BBw2axKgK3rySVNTn3soS3-wgAFVr4iLng_5bntJ3arhrQqbAuKiRL0EAIocGKQ=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="960" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGPSw-gqdXm3ggxSqqngjC9BNOVihg6P6BpwDE69rjwxOpirDIir_FhikFefVCOfErji8hHRT5Uw9pH2nimYQ5Vkm9RmB16p0sO8vY-Yul58ZHjhE8PnkBFqho5I2BBw2axKgK3rySVNTn3soS3-wgAFVr4iLng_5bntJ3arhrQqbAuKiRL0EAIocGKQ=w640-h444" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck & Co Inc and obtained by Reuters May 17, 2021. Merck & Co Inc/Handout via REUTERS<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">A UN-backed agency has struck a deal with nearly 30 generic drugmakers to make low-cost versions of Merck's COVID-19 pill molnupiravir for poorer countries, expanding access to a drug seen as a weapon to fight the pandemic. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></div><div><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The antiviral drug, which received emergency use approval in the US in December, reduces hospitalizations and deaths by about 30% in high-risk patients, according to clinical trials. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The agreement, negotiated by the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) with Merck, allows 27 generic drugmakers from India, China and other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to manufacture ingredients and the finished drug. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The MPP said on Thursday the agreement would see the pill distributed to 105 least developed countries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The developers of molnupiravir, which together with Merck are the US company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Emory University, will not receive royalties from the sale of cheap versions made by generic drug companies as long as COVID-19 is classified as a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) .</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></div><div><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"> "This is a critical step in ensuring global access to a much-needed COVID-19 treatment, and we are confident that with manufacturers working closely with regulatory authorities, pre-treatments will be rapidly available," said MPP CEO Charles Gore .</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Bangladesh's Beximco Pharmaceuticals, India's Natco Pharma, South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare and China's Fosun Pharma are among the generic drug companies that will manufacture the final product.</span></div>
January 20th, 2022 07:10 AM
<p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"> </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1tcuDavmvXZOY8RMhLyiP-2VKNYEBkZjEHciLGkdeKBkw4filQaWUx_xaM4SVypgi1l65JTg4VdpHhcnWRKP6QSxXdH_i8uqUuhD85gAKtItemvLK49nCzg14w2_C9Wk7lfoqPNgmkNxx_GnoSxsF2qSki7vzeOJoUrGCt7umtIiuZIErhqSAe0It-A=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj1tcuDavmvXZOY8RMhLyiP-2VKNYEBkZjEHciLGkdeKBkw4filQaWUx_xaM4SVypgi1l65JTg4VdpHhcnWRKP6QSxXdH_i8uqUuhD85gAKtItemvLK49nCzg14w2_C9Wk7lfoqPNgmkNxx_GnoSxsF2qSki7vzeOJoUrGCt7umtIiuZIErhqSAe0It-A=s320" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4b6882; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) shareholders on Tuesday asked a judge to find that Elon Musk forced the company's board of directors into a deal for SolarCity in 2016 and wanted the CEO convicted, the electric vehicle maker one of the largest judgments in history paid $13 billion.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"> "This case was always about whether the acquisition of SolarCity was a bailout from financial troubles, a bailout orchestrated by Elon Musk," said Randy Baron, a shareholders' attorney, at the Zoom hearing.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The closing arguments listed the key findings of a 10-day trial in July when Musk spent two days at the stand defending the deal.Lawsuit from union pension funds and wealth managers alleges Musk forced Tesla's board of directors to cut the deal to approve for cash -strapped SolarCity, in which Musk was the largest shareholder. </span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Musk has countered that the deal was part of a decade-old master plan to create a vertically integrated company that would transform energy generation and consumption with SolarCity's roof panels and Tesla's cars and batteries.<br /> Evan Chesler, one of Musk's attorneys, said at the hearing that the deal was not a bailout and that SolarCity is far from insolvent and that its finances are similar to those of many high-growth companies.</span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"They were building billions of dollars of long-term value," Chesler said of SolarCity.<br /></span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The all-stock deal was valued at $2.6 billion in 2016, but since that time Tesla's stock has soared.<br /></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Shareholder attorney Lee Rudy urged Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights of Delaware's Court of Chancery to order Musk return the Tesla stock he received, which would be worth around $13 billion at its current price.<br /></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Musk said in court papers such an award would be at least five times the largest award ever in a comparable shareholder lawsuit and called it a "windfall" for plaintiffs.<br /><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Rudy said Slights should consider Musk's contempt for the deposition and trial process, in which he repeatedly clashed with and insulted shareholder attorneys.<br /></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"It would be a windfall for Elon Musk if he got to keep shares he never should have gotten in the first place," Rudy said.<br /></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Chesler called the request to order Musk to return the stock from the deal "preposterous" and said it ignored five years of unprecedented success at Tesla.<br /><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=adee9769ea74eb59e82d4f0cb2e6f816" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Tesla's stock was down 1% at around $1,040in afternoon trade.<br /></span></p></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Tesla acquired SolarCity as the electric vehicle maker was approaching the launch of its Model 3, a mass-market sedan that was critical to its strategy. Shareholders allege the deal was a needless distraction and burdened Tesla with SolarCity's financial woes and debt.<br /></span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=05a47ba863f62ec113e14b51b976d14a" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Shareholders claim that despite owning only 22% of Tesla, Musk was a controlling shareholder due to his ties to board members and domineering style. If plaintiffs can prove this, it increases the likelihood that the court will conclude the deal was unfair to shareholders.<br /></span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br />Musk's lawyers said the celebrity entrepreneur had no authority to fire directors or control their salaries and withdrew from price negotiations in the SolarCity deal.</span></p><script async="async" data-cfasync="false" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/1c53481d07a323f238c0533a896732bf/invoke.js"></script> <div id="container-1c53481d07a323f238c0533a896732bf"></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"Without Elon Musk, Tesla couldn't exist, let alone be worth $1 trillion," said Vanessa Lavely, Musk's attorney. "That doesn't make him a controller. This makes him a highly effective CEO. <br />Slights ended the hearing by saying he expects to rule in about three months. He said last week that he intends to retire in the next few months. And a request for related shareholders contesting Musk's record pay package was transferred from Slights to another judge.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Source: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/telsa-investors-urge-judge-order-musk-repay-13-bln-solarcity-deal-2022-01-18/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reuters</a></span></p></div>
January 19th, 2022 07:20 AM
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpcU7GJng6hPXPpyCvyp84ak1F7NFnJfDC-tqnNbkKOilVYVynKL9QVjmU6Belry8wgb0bCp9dov0HEkYjOp5NpzKtodElVlJkOX51i2_ZRQSp46Jr7tffZccJ_Rb-MVHko8tII5qK4p1o83udZza_-iwWan0fNGyUOBRMz360zcRVzsYboPBOjw01hA=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><img alt="Activision" border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="1000" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpcU7GJng6hPXPpyCvyp84ak1F7NFnJfDC-tqnNbkKOilVYVynKL9QVjmU6Belry8wgb0bCp9dov0HEkYjOp5NpzKtodElVlJkOX51i2_ZRQSp46Jr7tffZccJ_Rb-MVHko8tII5qK4p1o83udZza_-iwWan0fNGyUOBRMz360zcRVzsYboPBOjw01hA=w400-h194" title="Activision" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h4 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #666666; font-size: 0.85em; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: -0.02em; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 4.22656px 0px 8.75781px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"> (Mike Blake, Reuters)<span><a name='more'></a></span></span></h4></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is buying "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) for $68.7 billion in the biggest gaming industry deal in history as global technology giants stake their claims to a virtual future.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The deal announced by Microsoft on Tuesday, its biggest-ever and set to be the largest all-cash acquisition on record, will bolster its firepower in the booming videogaming market where it takes on leaders Tencent (0700.HK) and Sony (6758.T).</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">It also represents the American multinational's bet on the "metaverse," virtual online worlds where people can work, play and socialize, as many of its biggest competitors are already doing.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms," Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Microsoft, one of the biggest companies in the world largely thanks to corporate software such as its Azure cloud computing platform and Outlook franchise, is offering $95 per share - a 45% premium to Activision's Friday close.<br /><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Activision's shares were last up 26% at $82.10, still a steep discount to the offer price, reflecting concerns the deal could get stuck in regulators' crosshairs.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Microsoft has so far avoided the type of scrutiny faced by Google and Facebook but this deal, which would make it the world's third largest gaming company, will put the Xbox maker on lawmakers' radars, said Andre Barlow of the law firm Doyle, Barlow & Mazard PLLC.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"Microsoft is already big in gaming," he said.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">However, a source familiar with the matter said Microsoft would pay a $3 billion break-fee if the deal falls through, suggesting it is confident of winning antitrust approval.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The tech major's shares were last down 1.9%.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The deal comes at a time of weakness for Activision, maker of games such as "Overwatch" and "Candy Crush". Before the deal was announced, its shares had slumped more than 37% since reaching a record high last year, hit by allegations of sexual harassment of employees and misconduct by several top managers.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The company is still addressing those allegations and said on Monday it had fired or pushed out more than three dozen employees and disciplined another 40 since July.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">CEO Bobby Kotick, who said Microsoft approached him about a possible buyout, would continue as CEO of Activision following the deal, although he is expected to leave after it closes, a source familiar with the plans said.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">In a conference call with analysts, Microsoft boss Nadella did not directly refer to the scandal but talked about the importance of culture in the company.</span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"It's critical for Activision Blizzard to drive forward on its renewed cultural commitments," he said, adding "the success of this acquisition will depend on it."<br /></span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">'METAVERSE ARMS RACE'</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Data analytics firm Newzoo estimates the global gaming market generated $180.3 billion of revenues in 2021, and expects that to grow to $218.8 billion by 2024.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Microsoft already has a significant beachhead in the sector as one of the big three console makers. It has been making investments including buying "Minecraft" maker Mojang Studios and Zenimax in multibillion-dollar deals in recent years.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">It has also launched a popular cloud gaming service, which has more than 25 million subscribers.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">According to Newzoo, Microsoft's gaming market share was 6.5% in 2020 and adding Activision would have taken it to 10.7%.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Executives talked up Activision's 400 million monthly active users as one major attraction to the deal and how vital these communities could play in Microsoft's various metaverse plays.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Activision's library of games could give Microsoft's Xbox gaming platform an edge over Sony's Playstation, which has for years enjoyed a more steady stream of exclusive games.</span></p><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"The likes of Netflix have already said they'd like to foray into gaming themselves, but Microsoft has come out swinging with today’s rather generous offer," said Sophie Lund-Yates, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Microsoft's offer equates to 18 times Activision's 2021 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). That compares with the 16 times EBITDA valuation of "Grand Theft Auto" maker Take-Two Interactive's (TTWO.O) cash-and-shares deal for Zynga last week.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">According to Refinitiv data, the Microsoft-Activision deal would be the largest all-cash acquisition on record, trumping Bayer's $63.9 billion offer for Monsanto in 2016 and the $60.4 billion that InBev bid for Anheuser-Busch in 2008.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Tech companies from Microsoft to Nvidia have placed big bets on the so-called metaverse, with the buzz around it intensifying late last year after Facebook renamed itself as Meta Platforms to reflect its focus on its virtual reality business.</span></p></div><iframe src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=adee9769ea74eb59e82d4f0cb2e6f816" width="728" height="90" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"This is a significant deal for the consumer side of the business and more importantly, Microsoft acquiring Activision really starts the metaverse arms race," David Wagner, equity analyst and portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors said.</span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">"We believe the deal will get done," he said, but cautioned: "This will get a lot of looks from a regulatory standpoint."<br /></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">This article is copy paste from Reuters Check the original <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-buy-activision-blizzard-deal-687-billion-2022-01-18/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">article here</a></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Source: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-buy-activision-blizzard-deal-687-billion-2022-01-18/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reuters</a></span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /></span></p></div><div align="left"><p dir="ltr"><br /></p></div>
January 19th, 2022 06:53 AM
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhM15Xw231br_-a4ZQ9RaaPU2ilY-BuIjO6wBKiG8jIA66a8hquh6x41QERf8KvwAptbTlggfGWVVsQlSxSlGnW4fGeqbIdVChLQ_6xKGeC-no0yjU3EILu-dtWDcGNAJfNpn9S_6uPZth-7IP6RMbdDzhhVMCX53vMtGqWTEB_gUWLuOcmK2BtaqAJhw=s720" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><img alt="WhatsApp" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhM15Xw231br_-a4ZQ9RaaPU2ilY-BuIjO6wBKiG8jIA66a8hquh6x41QERf8KvwAptbTlggfGWVVsQlSxSlGnW4fGeqbIdVChLQ_6xKGeC-no0yjU3EILu-dtWDcGNAJfNpn9S_6uPZth-7IP6RMbdDzhhVMCX53vMtGqWTEB_gUWLuOcmK2BtaqAJhw=w400-h266" title="WhatsApp" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span>The Android app will get new pencil and drawing tools in a future update, while WhatsApp Desktop will get new chat bubble colors. The desktop app also gets a new dark blue color that is only visible in dark theme mode.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The instant messaging app is also testing a new emoji message reaction info tab and new message reaction notification settings.</span></p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=302372165fcdeb117a0acc3571473224" width="300"></iframe></span><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"> WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo said that WhatsApp is introducing new drawing tools to its Android app. You get two pens, including one thinner and one thicker than your existing pen. The app is also working on a blur tool that may be added in the future. </span></p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="250" scrolling="no" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=aeca13d083f5b3719e28123bb76b9ed4" width="300"></iframe></span><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The new features appeared in the WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.22.5 update, but they are disabled by default. These features are still under development and may be made available to WhatsApp beta testers soon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">The WABetaInfo report said the app is also introducing new colour to its Windows and macOS apps with WhatsApp beta for Desktop 2.2201.2.0 update. The new colour scheme will be visible in the dark theme and the chat bubbles seem to be greener compared to the existing colour.</span></p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="90" scrolling="no" src="//assertedclosureseaman.com/watchnew?key=8161e3a0ec1cd717eec24cfba719cc24" width="728"></iframe></span><p><span style="font-family: Gelasio;">Other elements of the app will also see colour changes with chat bar and background colour now reportedly have a blue tinge.</span></p><p><br /></p>
January 19th, 2022 06:25 AM
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