777-7
2025-01-11
A top hedge fund manager who once likened China 's human rights abuses to being a "strict parent" sits on the board of an NGO whose goal is to advance the priorities of the Chinese Communist Party. Ray Dalio, a self-described moderate who has been critical of Democrats and Republicans, sits alongside several Chinese businessmen with ties to the CCP on the board of the China Global Philanthropy Institute. CGPI, which has received accolades from the Chinese government for its work, conducts research and educates professionals intending to help the CCP achieve its goals in the realm of civil society. Ma Weihua, the chairman of the organization’s board of directors, previously served in China’s National People’s Congress and was a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a government body which describes itself as “a major achievement of the Communist Party of China” that exists to integrate “Marxist-Leninist theories on the united front, political parties, and democratic politics with the unique realities and fine traditional culture of China.” Dalio sits alongside Ma and a number of others with links to the Chinese government on CGPI’s board of directors. Trustee Shen Xuxin is also a member of the CPCC, board supervisor Liu Jing held leadership roles in the Chinese government before joining the CGPI, and trustee Lei Yongsheng is the chief supervisor of the China Charity Alliance, an organization led by China’s minister of civil affairs that undertakes tasks “assigned by the government.” Wang Zhenyao, the founding president of the CGPI and the man who convinced Dalio to co-found the NGO, served as the director of China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs before embarking on transforming Chinese philanthropy. Dalio has landed himself in hot water for his comments on China’s approach to human rights. In 2021, Dalio likened China to a "strict parent" when discussing the disappearances of political dissidents in the country, sparking backlash. He later walked these comments back, saying that he "sloppily answered a question” and affirming his commitment to human rights. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), who also has a background in finance, has criticized Dalio for his activities in China. “Ray Dalio is brilliant and a friend, but his feigned ignorance of China’s horrific abuses and rationalization of complicit investments, there is a sad moral lapse,” the senator wrote in 2021. “Tragically, it is shared by far too many here and throughout the free world.” In addition to being led by former members of the Chinese government, CGPI has also won the praise of the Chinese government for its operations, with the Ministry of Civil Affairs granting it an award for its research on public services. More than 20 individuals trained by CGPI received awards at the state-run China Charity Awards in 2021. The admiration goes both ways as Ma, the CGPI chairman, praised the CCP in 2019 for making “historic progress in its fight against poverty.” The warm relationship between CGPI and the CCP is reflected in the organization’s operations. CGPI is a proponent of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a state-funded global infrastructure investment project that critics argue is being used by China to build political influence in foreign nations. “With the wisdom and responsibility of a great power, China is strengthening international cooperation and promoting exchange and integration of economy and culture of the Belt and Road countries with win-win cooperation,” a 2019 press release reads , describing the infrastructure program. “CGPI is willing to provide academic support for the ‘Belt and Road’ World Charity Journey, jointly contribute to Belt and Road construction, and contribute to the development of philanthropy in China and the world.” CGPI believes in “integrating charity into the Belt and Road Initiative” to help "guarantee" its success in part by encouraging “private foundations to take part in and contribute to the initiative.” In 2019, the organization signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian philanthropists to commemorate Italy’s entrance into the global infrastructure program. It was joined by the China Development Research Foundation in signing the memorandum. The China Development Research Foundation operates under the State Council, which is the “executive body of the supreme organ of state power,” according to the National People’s Congress. The Dalio Foundation granted nearly $6 million to the state-run research foundation between 2018 and 2023, according to tax forms. The Government Accountability Office, the U.S. federal government’s official watchdog agency, worries that China is using the Belt and Road Initiative to purchase influence in the developing world by shackling nations with infrastructure debt, according to a report released in October. CGPI launched a “Global Climate Action” initiative alongside the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2018. The State Council oversees the Chinese Academy of Sciences , and its president, a member of the CCP, wrote that the agency “will be guided by Xi Jinping’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics for [a] new era.” Among the initiative’s goals were building a “green” Belt and Road Initiative. Aside from lending his name and labor to CGPI, Dalio also donates a considerable amount of wealth to the organization. The Dalio Foundation has donated about $2.2 million to the NGO since 2018, according to the most recently available tax forms. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who helped Dalio found CGPI, himself directs millions of dollars into the arms of the Chinese government and organizations that collaborate with the Chinese military through the Gate Foundation. Robert Rosen, the director of philanthropic partnerships at the Gates Foundation, also sits on CGPI’s board of directors. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Politically, Dalio positions himself as a moderate. He has called the Republican Party “unethical” and “almost fascist” while lambasting Democrats for being “untruthful and enigmatic.” “What the country needs is the moderates coming together to be able to work together and make great reform,” Dalio said in September, criticizing both Vice President Kamala Harris and President-elect Donald Trump. “What the country needs is broad-based prosperity.” Trump and Harris were both critical of China on the campaign trail, often accusing each other of being too weak on the CCP. CGPI and the Dalio Foundation did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comment.777-7
。
Global Blockchain Show Focuses on UPTX: Promoting Global Financial Inclusion and Trust Reconstruction
ERLANGER, Ky. — Even though his father may be faithful to the Cincinnati Bengals, 11-year-old Levi Still is a lifelong Denver Broncos fan. His parents told WCPO that he has three jerseys: Von Miller, then Justin Simmons, and now Patrick Surtain II. "He's been a fan since he was five years old," said Levi's mother Stacey Ewing. Levi said his fandom started after his parents returned from their honeymoon, and brought him a special Denver Broncos football. From then on, he was hooked to Broncos Country. Levi was given a Pat Surtain jersey for Christmas, and his family got tickets to the Bengals vs. Broncos in Cincinnati on December 28th. As the fans arrived, Levi and his family went down to the railing, to get closer to the players as they warmed up. But what happened next, was a dream come true. "All of a sudden, we see Pat Surtain walking to us. We just freaked out and he ended up handing him the football," said Ewing. Levi saw Surtain perform on the biggest stage, even seeing the Pro Bowler recover a Tee Higgins fumble in the fourth quarter. Even though the Broncos fell to the Bengals in overtime , the surprise gift made the night extra special for Levi, until he and his family began to leave the stadium. "We got stopped by security, three gentlemen, who were just doing their job. They had told us the football is property of the NFL and it can’t leave the stadium," said Ewing. Ewing and her son told WCPO the ball was taken away and the family left the stadium. But Ewing said she had to see if something could be done. "The only thing I knew to do was go to social media and try to get my boy's ball back," she said. Ewing's post received dozens of shares on Facebook, as people hoped that Levi could get his football back. Ewing told WCPO that on Sunday morning, one of the security guards reached out, telling her that he went through all the steps to get Levi his ball back. "He instant messaged me and just said he, you know, the steps that he had taken to get it verified and to make sure he could have it, and then he reached out," Ewing said. Ewing's family packed up the car and headed back to Paycor Stadium and met with the staff. There, Levi was reunited with the special football. "I felt happy because I thought I was never going to get it back," Levi said. Ewing told WCPO she's grateful to the staff and security at Paycor Stadium for helping get the ball back to Levi. Watch Live:Do you often find yourself in bed, endlessly scrolling, not remembering what you were supposed to do before you got distracted? Do you ever feel more overwhelmed and stressed after checking your phone? These are signs that it may be time to declutter your social media . Although social media is essential in today’s digital age to stay connected with loved ones, for productivity, and to stay up-to-date with news, it can also be overwhelming. Decluttering can be a way to regain control of your digital environment, allowing you to remain connected but be more intentional about its use. The Problem With Digital Clutter Digital clutter is having overwhelming notifications, irrelevant content, and unused apps on your phone. Too much overwhelming content online can have potentially negative mental health effects . Social media can cause anxiety because it offers too much content, constantly swaying your emotions as you scroll. One way to tell that social media affects your mood is if you continually feel overwhelmed, anxious, or negative after viewing content. It can be challenging to let go of social media use or minimize it. Social media is the modern way to keep up with family and friends. Letting go can mean experiencing some FOMO (fear of missing out), but it may be for the better if it impacts your daily life. Benefits of Decluttering Your Social Media After decluttering the content seen online, you may have better mental clarity. Beyond digital apps, ads, and notifications being distracting, online content can no longer make you feel down after using it. Additionally, limiting social media use may improve sleep , further improving your cognition. Smartphones are incredibly useful tools. They allow us to be productive on the go, provide us with essential daily functions, and keep us in touch with people. However, we often become distracted by something else on the phone other than what we should be doing. Decluttering your digital world can lead to better time management, so your attempts to be productive are productive. A Guide to Decluttering Your Feeds First, audit any accounts you are following. Go through each account and ask, “Does this bring value to my life?” Or “Do I care about keeping up with them?” Removing harmful, unhelpful, distracting, or useless accounts can better align what you see online with your interests. Blocking ads on social media or any other website can prevent you from falling into a digital rabbit hole. Popups and ads often redirect us to interesting websites but don’t necessarily add value to our time. Turn off any unnecessary notifications. Every ding you hear, and every numbered icon on your app reminds you of something else you could be doing. With intentional actions, there’s no time like the present. Streamlining your feeds can help remove emotionally charged content. It doesn’t feel good to turn off your phone after watching a video that made you sad, angry, anxious, or stressed. Using tools like Instagram’s favorites or TikTok’s “not interested” can help streamline your feed to only show content relevant to your interests. Setting strict boundaries about when, where, and how long you can use social media is important. Yes, these platforms are addictive, so placing strict time limits can help you not become immersed for too long. Setting up screen time limit apps can hold you accountable for the time spent online. Maintaining a Decluttered Digital Space Periodically check in so your feeds, notifications, and ads are relevant and manageable. As your life evolves, so should your digital space. Ensure your online content is serving you rather than the other way around. Having a healthy relationship with the online world is essential in an increasingly digital world. Decluttering your digital space has clear positive effects: more time, mental clarity, and peace of mind. Starting small is all it takes to make a meaningful change. Consider using these tips to create a more intentional and fulfilling online experience. DISCLAIMER: No part of this article was written by The Signal editorial staff.
How Nigerians celebrate ChristmasSteelers to face Chiefs — but also are competing against Christmas, Hanukkah this seasonUnsaturated Polyester Resin Market Growth Trends and Forecast 2024-2031: Industry Analysis
WINDHOEK, Namibia — Namibia has elected its first female leader, with Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah declared the winner Tuesday of last week’s presidential election as the long-ruling party remained in power. The 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah won with 57% of the vote, according to official results, defying predictions that she might be forced into a runoff. Her ruling SWAPO party has had a 34-year hold on power since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. Opposition parties have rejected the results after last Wednesday’s election was marred by technical problems, including shortages of ballot papers and other issues, causing election officials to extend voting until Saturday. The opposition parties say the extension was illegal and they will challenge the results in court. SWAPO also retained its majority in the parliamentary vote and avoided the fate of long-ruling parties in neighboring South Africa and Botswana who lost their majorities this year as a mood of change swept across the southern African region. Nandi-Ndaitwah was a member of the underground independence movement in Namibia in the 1970s. She was promoted to vice president in February after President Hage Geingob died while in office, and will become the fifth president of Namibia after independence. “SWAPO Wins. Netumbo Wins. Namibia Wins. Now Hard Work,” the ruling party posted on its official account on social media site X. Some opposition parties boycotted the results announcement by the Electoral Commission of Namibia, which has come under scrutiny over the running of the vote. The opposition parties say many Namibians weren’t given the opportunity to vote because of the technical problems. Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change opposition party was second in the presidential election with 25% of the vote, and his party won the second-largest number of seats in Parliament behind SWAPO. The Independent Patriots for Change have led the criticism of the vote and pledged to lodge a challenge in court, calling the three-day extension for voting unconstitutional. Namibia is a large country on Africa’s southwest coast that is more than twice the size of Germany but with just 3 million people, making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It has a reputation for being one of Africa’s more stable democracies.Epic Games says a recent change to Fortnite Save the World that drastically cut back on the XP players could earn was in fact a bug, and the issue is being fixed. The trouble came to light yesterday when players discovered that Epic had apparently made a change to the XP cap on Save the World, the original Fortnite PvE experience. Fortnite Save the World is pretty much an afterthought at this point, long ago left in the dust of Fortnite Battle Royale, but players can still use it to earn progress in Fortnite overall. As Forbes explains, players could previously earn multiple levels per day from playing Save the World, but with the start of Chapter 6 Season 1, it was cut to a total of nine levels per week, a drastic reduction. This did not go over well with the Fortnite community. Multiple threads on the Fortnite subreddit were highly critical of the change, complaining that the tighter cap unfairly impinges upon their progress. Many felt the change was part of a more forceful push to monetize the Fortnite battle pass, and there was also considerable upset that all of this happened without any warning: Epic said nothing at all about the new XP cap prior to pushing it live. Now it has said something, and it turns out the Save the World XP issue is a bug. "We're aware of an issue where after a certain threshold is reached, Save The World players earn less XP than intended," Epic posted on X. "We're working to resolve this now and will let you know when a fix is live." It looks like this might have been part of a broader problem with Fortnite, as XP awards in Lego Fortnite were also disabled because of a problem with how it was being handed out. The Lego Fortnite Status account said all XP that would have been earned during the period that awards are disabled will be granted at some point before the current Lego pass ends. All of this may have emerged from a change to Fortnite's overall XP reward system that was announced in October . Rather than having separate daily quests for each mode, as of December 1 the regular battle pass, the music pass, and the Lego pass all share reward tracks and advance with XP earned from any Fortnite mode except Save the World. This hasn't proven entirely popular either, as some players say the merging of daily rewards has cut back on the amount of XP they can earn and forced them to play game modes they're not interested in, but at least it's not a bug. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
AP Business SummaryBrief at 3:50 p.m. EST
NoneLegal authorities generally suggest that the ruling was sound and followed the law.
Joe Biden led US presidents and other world leaders in paying tribute Sunday to Jimmy Carter who died aged 100. "Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian," President Biden said in a statement released by the White House. "He saved, lifted and changed the lives of people all across the globe." To President-elect Donald Trump, Americans owe Carter "a debt of gratitude." "The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans," he said on social media. Former president Bill Clinton, a Southern Democrat like Carter, said his predecessor had "worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world." He added, in a joint statement with his wife and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, that Carter "lived to serve others -- until the very end." To former president George W. Bush, Carter "dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn't end with the presidency." And for former president Barack Obama, Carter "taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service." Among other US politicians sharing their condolences, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Carter "taught us that the strength of a leader lies not in rhetoric but in action, not in personal gain but in service to others." Carter "was early to recognize that protecting our shared planet and promoting global public health were vital to national security interests," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. In one of the first reactions from abroad, French President Emmanuel Macron said Carter had "been a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace. "France sends its heartfelt thoughts to his family and to the American people," he said. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted Carter's post-presidency work with the nonprofit Carter Center "saved countless lives and helped bring many neglected tropical diseases close to elimination." Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed Carter as "a lover of democracy and defender of peace," noting his pressuring of Brazil's dictatorship to release political prisoners. "He criticized unilateral military action by superpowers and the use of killer drones," Lula said. "He worked with Brazil to mediate conflicts in Venezuela and to help Haiti." "He will be remembered forever as a name that defends the idea that peace is the most important condition for development."76ers look for season-best 4th straight win vs. BlazersForafric Global PLC ( NASDAQ:AFRIW – Get Free Report ) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,100 shares, a decline of 47.6% from the November 30th total of 2,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.4 days. Forafric Global Price Performance Shares of AFRIW opened at $0.99 on Friday. Forafric Global has a 52-week low of $0.56 and a 52-week high of $1.60. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.31. Forafric Global Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Forafric Global Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Forafric Global and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Four Day Weekend feels at home after leaving Sundance Square, will continue NYE traditionUse Technology To Drive Progress, Guard Against Misuse: Jeet Adani
What We Know About Luigi Mangione: Suspected CEO Shooter Charged With First-Degree MurderIn their latest motion to dismiss Donald Trump ‘s hush money conviction, his attorneys are citing President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter. “President Biden argued that ‘raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice,'” Trump’s legal team wrote in a filing today. “These comments amounted to an extraordinary condemnation of Biden’s own DOJ. This is the same DOJ that coordinated and oversaw the politically motivated election interference witch hunts targeting President Trump by disgraced Special Counsel Jack Smith, the other biased prosecutors in Smith’s special counsel’s office, and others. This is the same DOJ that sent Matthew Colangelo to DA Bragg to help unfairly target President Trump in this empty and lawless case.” Read the Trump motion to dismiss . Trump was convicted earlier year of 34 New York state felony counts related to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan has postponed Trump’s sentencing hearing indefinitely. Last week, Smith, the special counsel who brought federal charges against Trump over the handling of classified documents and his attempts to remain in power after the 2020 election, asked for a dismissal of the cases given the former president’s pending return to the White House. Both motions for dismissal were granted. Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden on Sunday, just as he was to be sentenced later this month on gun and tax charges, stemming from conduct when the younger Biden was in the throes of addiction. In a statement he issued after issuing the pardon, Biden said that his son was “singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.” Critics of Biden’s pardon, including some Democrats, predicted that it would embolden Trump to abuse the president’s pardoning authority, including for defendants involved in the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Trump has claimed that the Justice Department under Biden has been weaponized against him, even though the DOJ has also pursued cases against a number of Democrats including Hunter Biden. In their latest motion, Trump’s attorneys argue that Biden’s argument about his son — that his conviction was politically motivated — mirror the president-elect’s claims about his own prosecution. In the motion to dismiss, Trump’s attorneys argued that presidential immunity was an “unavoidable ‘legal impediment’ to further proceedings in” the case. “Therefore, the indictment must be dismissed, and the jury’s verdicts must be vacated,” they wrote.
South Korea Lifts President’s Martial Law Decree After Lawmakers Vote Against ItTrump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff
Spending fight shows limits of Trump power to change fiscal path
Related hot word search: