Dr. Atie J. El Mouallem – Political Rights and Civil Liberties in Lebanon as per Freedom House Report. — atiejelmouallem.com
The Freedom House Report is the most widely cited report for tracking global trends in Political Rights and Civil Liberties. It is accessed by Policymakers, academicians, journalists, and activists and it covers almost 195 countries and 15 territories. With an Internet Freedom Score of 52/100 and a Global Freedom Score of 43/100, Lebanon is ranked one among the least free countries. In this blog post, I am only focussing on areas where Lebanon has scored the lowest points.
A $6 Trillion Family Office World Fights Post-Archegos Crackdown
A $6 Trillion Family Office World Fights Post-Archegos Crackdown – Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com The implosion of Archegos is giving thousands of secretive family offices the greatest challenge to their privacy in a decade. They won’t give it up without a fight.
“Some lawmakers, regulators and consumer advocates are pushing to expose the inner workings of family offices, which are closely held and lightly regulated yet manage an estimated $6 trillion for the ultra-rich globally.”
“The new disclosures could include firms’ derivatives positions and which stocks they are shorting.”
“Archegos essentially used borrowed money to build a huge portfolio — while keeping its ownership of individual stocks hidden.”
“Family offices have proliferated this century, partly due to the boom in tech billionaires. More than 10,000 family offices globally manage the wealth of a single-family, with at least half having started this century, according to EY.”
Can Oil Majors Make Electric Vehicle Charging Pay?
Can Oil Majors Make Electric Vehicle Charging Pay? – Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com To successfully swap out pumps for plugs, they’ll have to really sell those electrons.
“The oil business is mostly geared toward finding barrels; demand takes care of itself. Now electric vehicles are messing with that.”
“For really speed EV adoption, you need public chargers, especially high-power ones delivering a full charge in 30 minutes or less.”
“Public fast-charging is most akin to the existing gas-station business, and some oil majors are active already.”
“Fast chargers cost upward of $50,000 apiece and can also require chipping in for local grid upgrades.”
Nigerian Banks Guaranty Trust, Access Turn to Regulators for Help
Africa News: Nigerian Banks Guaranty Trust, Access Turn to Regulators for Help – Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com Nigerian banks’ dominance of their home turf is virtually unparalleled.
“Nigerian banks’ dominance of their home turf is virtually unparalleled.”
“Some might claim there is pushback from traditional banks and their regulatory ally to restrict financial innovation by fintechs,” says Abubakar Idris, analyst at Stears Business.”
“While the government has opened up the industry to telecom companies to increase access to banking services, the Central Bank of Nigeria has yet to approve payment-service licenses to MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Africa Plc.”
“Fintechs build bank-level features like loan, savings or investment apps off collaborations with banks,” CEO Olugbenga Agboola said.”
Thodex Bitcoin (BTC USD) Cryptocurrency Exchange Turkey News: Dozens Arrested.
Thodex Bitcoin (BTC USD) Cryptocurrency Exchange Turkey News: Dozens Arrested – Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com Turkey launched an international manhunt for the founder of one of its major cryptocurrency exchanges after he stopped paying clients and fled the country.
“The Justice Ministry is seeking a so-called red notice under which Interpol would help find, provisionally arrest and return Thodex Chief Executive Officer Faruk Fatih Ozer from Albania to Turkey, state-run Anadolu Agency reported Friday.”
“Losses could be as high as $2 billion, according to Haberturk newspaper, and a lawyer for the victims said the money invested by about 390,000 active users had become “irretrievable.”
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UAE Weighs Curbs on Unvaccinated People, Sparking Criticism
UAE Weighs Curbs on Unvaccinated People, Sparking Criticism – Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com The United Arab Emirates is considering restrictions on people who haven’t yet taken a vaccine despite being eligible for one, sparking criticism online and drawing in a member of Dubai’s ruling family.
“Imposing it means robbing people of their rights,” said Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, who is the daughter of Dubai’s ruler and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”
“The UAE started vaccinating residents last year and has since overseen one of the world’s fastest inoculation programs, having administered about 9.8 million doses in a mostly expatriate population of 10 million.”
“Most people in the UAE have received the vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm Group, which is now being manufactured locally.”
Who Ever Thought India’s For-Profit Healthcare Market Could Defeat a Pandemic
Who Ever Thought India’s For-Profit Healthcare Market Could Defeat a Pandemic – Bloomberg — www.bloomberg.com
No healthcare system was ready for Covid-19, but years of neglect and the government’s belief in private sector solutions has left the South Asian giant in catastrophic shambles.
“A country of 1.4 billion people needs a system to support their most basic need: survival. The idea that a private health system focused on profit could adequately attend to almost 18% of the world is ludicrous.”
“Public health spending was dismally low to begin with, at just close to 1% of India’s gross domestic product. The country ranks 179th out 189 when it comes to prioritization of healthcare in the government budget. It spends as much as donor-dependent nations like Sierra Leone on a per capita basis.”
“It’s pointless being the pharmacy of the world when you can’t heal your own people.”