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May 16 – The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) issued a statement on May 15 saying that the death toll from a new Ebola outbreak in Ituri province in eastern Congo has risen to 80. The DRC Ministry of Health stated that as of that day, a total of 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths had been reported nationwide, with four deaths confirmed by Ebola virus testing. The statement said the DRC National Institute of Biomedical Research confirmed that the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus. The first suspected case was a nurse who died in April after receiving treatment at a medical facility in Ituri province. The patient had symptoms including fever, bleeding, vomiting, and severe fatigue.On May 16th, Berkshire Hathaway released its first-quarter holdings report (13F). Berkshire increased its holdings in Alphabet (GOOGL.O), The New York Times, and other stocks in the first quarter. Alphabet saw an increase of over 36 million shares, raising its stake from 2.04% to 5.93%. It completely sold off its holdings in Amazon (AMZN.O), Visa (VN), Mastercard (MA.N), and UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N). It reduced its holdings in Chevron (CVX.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N). It established a position in Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), purchasing 39.8 million shares, with a market value of approximately $2.65 billion. Its holding in Apple (AAPL.O) remained unchanged, ending three consecutive quarters of reductions; Apple remains its largest holding. Overall, Berkshires holdings in US stocks were valued at $26.3 billion as of the first quarter, compared to $27.4 billion in the previous quarter. During the quarter, the company bought approximately $16 billion worth of stocks and sold approximately $24 billion worth, resulting in a net sale of approximately $8.15 billion. The number of stocks held plummeted from 42 to 29, indicating a significant increase in market concentration.On May 16th, Bridgewater Associates, the worlds largest hedge fund, released its Q1 2023 13F report on its US stock holdings as of the end of March. The report shows that Bridgewater established new positions in 214 stocks, increased its holdings in 292 stocks, liquidated 261 stocks, and reduced its holdings in 487 stocks during the first quarter. Bridgewater significantly increased its holdings in chip stocks such as Nvidia (NVDA.O), Broadcom (AVGO.O), and Micron Technology (MU.O) during the first quarter, while liquidating its holdings in enterprise software stocks such as Salesforce (CRM.N) and ServiceNow (NOW.N), and reducing its holdings in Adobe (ADBE.O). As of the end of Q1, Bridgewaters US stock holdings were valued at $22.4 billion, compared to $27.4 billion in the previous quarter. Specifically, Bridgewater increased its holdings in Nvidia by 827,800 shares, raising its stake from 2.63% at the end of last year to 3.65%; it increased its holdings in Broadcom by 670,000 shares, raising its stake from 1.47% to 2.54%; and it increased its holdings in Micron Technology by 586,000 shares, raising its stake from 0.93% to 2.23%. In addition, Bridgewater initiated its first position in TSMC with 1.077 million shares, which accounted for 1.62% of its portfolio as of the end of the first quarter.On May 16, US President Trump posted on social media that the US military and the Nigerian armed forces carried out a joint operation that evening to "eliminate" Abu Bilal Minuki, the number two leader of the extremist group "Islamic State".US President Trump: Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of the Islamic State extremist group, has been eliminated. The operation was carried out jointly by the US military and the Nigerian armed forces.

Cuba Allows Cryptocurrency Services but Requires A License From the Central Bank

Cory Russell

Apr 28, 2022 09:50

After approving the personal use of cryptocurrencies last year, the Cuban central bank released rules for virtual asset service providers on Tuesday, a move that some experts believe might help the Communist-run Caribbean island avoid hefty US penalties.


Cryptocurrencies, which enable financial transactions to be carried out anonymously and decentralized, have previously been used to circumvent capital regulations and improve the efficiency of payments and transfers.


Those intending to use cryptocurrencies must get a license, according to the bank authorisation, which was published in the government's official gazette on Tuesday.


Before giving a license, the bank said it would assess the legality, socioeconomic interest, and project features of every request. The license would be valid for one year at first.


The introduction of mobile internet three years ago paved the path for cryptocurrency transactions in Cuba, and the number of cryptocurrency fans on the island is rising as the currencies assist the nation overcome difficulties posed by US sanctions.


Cubans are blocked off from traditional international payment systems and financial markets by the US trade embargo, which has been in place for decades. On the island, Cubans are unable to get credit or debit cards for foreign usage, and they struggle to do so overseas.


"If the central bank is developing a cryptocurrency-friendly legislative framework, it is because they have already concluded that it may help the nation," said Pavel Vidal, a former Cuban central bank economist who now teaches at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali in Colombia.


El Salvador, the first nation in the world to embrace bitcoin as legal cash, is one of Cuba's Latin American neighbors to be interested in cryptocurrencies.


Vidal said he doubted Cuba would follow El Salvador's lead and adopt bitcoin as its currency of choice or create its own cryptocurrency, instead preferring to focus on enabling remittances and international foreign trade activities.


"This may lower the cost of these international transactions and provide an alternative to dollar-based operations that are less susceptible to sanctions," he added.

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