morning all
Microsoft to buy AI firm Nuance Communications in $19.7 billion deal in healthcare push
Microsoft Corp said on Monday it would buy artificial intelligence and speech technology firm Nuance Communications Inc in a $19.7 billion deal including net debt, as it seeks to bolster its cloud strategy for healthcare.
The deal comes as both companies, which partnered in 2019 to automate clinical administrative work such as documentation, gain from a boom in telehealth services as medical consultations shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Microsoft’s offer of $56 per share represents a premium of 22.86% to Nuance’s last close. Shares of Nuance rose nearly 23% in pre-market trading.
Nuance helped launch Apple Inc’s assistant Siri and also makes software for businesses including automotive.
Mark Benjamin will remain the chief executive officer of Nuance and will report to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI at Microsoft, the company said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/nuance-commns-ma-microsoft/update-2-microsoft-to-buy-ai-firm-nuance-communications-for-about-16-bln-in-healthcare-push-idUSL4N2M536I
U.K. to Probe Greensill Contracts, Lobbying Amid Cameron Furore
The U.K. announced an investigation into how the now insolvent Greensill Capital secured government contracts, a probe likely to include the lobbying of ministers by former premier David Cameron.
“There is significant interest in this matter, so the PM has called for review to ensure government is completely transparent about such activities,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Spokesman, Max Blain, told reporters on Monday. “This independent review will also look at how contracts were secured and how business representatives engaged with government.” By announcing an inquiry, Johnson is trying to draw a line under a growing crisis that’s seen ministers come under fire for their interactions with Cameron, and his ruling Conservative Party accused of cronyism.
The Treasury has already acknowledged that Cameron approached Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and two junior ministers in his department to lobby for Greensill to gain access to government Covid support programs last year. And over the weekend, The Sunday Times reported that the former premier arranged a private meeting with Health Secretary Matthew Hancock, after which a Greensill payment program was used in the National Health Service.
The government says Sunak acted within the rules and correctly referred Cameron to officials in his department. On Sunday, a person familiar with the matter said there was no impropriety when awarding the NHS contract and that Hancock updated officials on the business that was discussed at his meeting with Greensill and Cameron. Cameron, for his part, issued a statement running to almost 2,000-words on Sunday, defending his actions while acknowledging there are “important lessons” to be learned.
While Blain said he wouldn’t comment about individuals, Cameron was acting as a representative of Greensill, and so his lobbying activities are likely to fall within the scope of the probe. The terms are set to be published later on Monday, Blain said.
Rachel Reeves, a member of Opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet, said the enquiry has “all the hallmarks” of a cover-up, and accused the Tories of attempting “to push bad behavior into the long grass and hope the British public forgets.”
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/u-k-to-probe-greensill-contracts-lobbying-amid-cameron-furore-1.1589056
Japan to boost public funding for rare earth exploration
The Japanese government is poised to increase funding for the exploration of rare earth metals, Nikkei has learned, as competition in the sector intensifies amid an accelerating global shift to electric vehicles.
The government is considering lifting the 50% ceiling on government funding for resource exploration projects by the end of this year, sources said. This will allow state-backed Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. (Jogmec) to shoulder more than half of the costs of exploring and developing natural resource mines, the sources said. The move, if it goes through, would reduce the private sector's burden in undertaking such projects, which are known to be risky and expensive. The rule change comes amid continued concerns about rare earth supply in Japan. In 2010, China imposed restrictions on rare earth exports to Japan. Without a steady supply of rare earth metals, government officials worry that Japan's efforts in shifting to cleaner energies could be undermined.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which oversees Jogmec, and the Ministry of Finance, are now looking at changing the role of Jogmec to address economic security concerns. Still, the government intends to set a limit on the scope of Jogmec's expanded role to the exploration of lithium, cobalt and cerium key materials for EV battery production as well as neodymium and dysprosium, which are used in the production of drive motors. All these minerals have come under spotlight amid a global shift away from carbon-based energy, but there have been concerns about their supplies.
Jogmec is now allowed to fund up to 50% of a natural resource project. It can only exceed that limit in exceptional cases and on a temporary basis. Under the new rules, such restrictions will be loosened to allow Jogmec to work more flexibly with the private sector. Trading houses are expected to be keen to invest in such projects. With more money from Jogmec, a project can be undertaken with less private-sector capital, making it easier for companies to chase larger projects. Even after the rule change, however, Jogmec would not be allowed to fund or own an entire project. The government is also looking at offering other support to private-sector resource developers. One idea is to guarantee a larger portion of private-sector projects. Another is to lower fees for government guarantees.
Resource projects tend to require huge initial investments and take 10-20 years to actually produce results. The cost of field exploration alone can rise to tens of millions of dollars. If the field is found viable, commercializing it could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The chances of discovering a rare earth metal field large enough for commercial development are small. Japanese companies are at a disadvantage compared with overseas resource giants, due to their smaller financial profile. Government support is also seen critical in operating in regions where security could be an issue, such as in Africa, or in competing against Chinese companies, sources said. To further support Japanese resource developers, the government is also looking at strengthening cooperation with other members of the Quad -- Australia, India and the U.S.
The four nations are due to hold discussions about how to secure rare earth stocks without relying on China, a major supplier. Officials expect there will be more joint projects with countries such as the U.S. and Australia.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Commodities/Japan-to-boost-public-funding-for-rare-earth-exploration
Suga: Decision on treated water cannot be delayed
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide says a decision on how to dispose of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant should not be put off. Suga told a Lower House committee on Monday that the government aims to make its decision on the matter in the coming days.
Wastewater produced by the crippled nuclear plant is stored in tanks in the compound that are set to fill up next year. It's treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, to remove most of the radioactive materials, but still contains radioactive tritium. He said disposing of the treated water will be unavoidable for the recovery from the nuclear accident triggered by the massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The government plans to decide on Tuesday at the earliest to release the treated water into the ocean, after diluting it to levels far below national regulations. Suga acknowledged that fisheries workers and others are against the idea of releasing the water into the sea due to concerns about reputational damage.
He said the government needs to face them sincerely and take all possible measures, suggesting that it will provide science-based explanations to make its case for the release at home and abroad.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210412_18/
SAM002 USAF G5 departed JBA west
use this one instead of 100
>>44681, >>44725 pb
SAM024 USAF G5 KAF AC of interdast 99th Airlift high-profile AC departed JBA
This AC went to South America last week and returned to JBA on Saturday-see pb links
SAM002 USAF G5 departed JBA west
>>44926 pb
BOXER40 USAF C-40C departed San Luis Obispo Regional Airport after an overnight
Departed Phoenix, AZ yesterday
Hungary's central bank to buy green government bonds in QE scheme
Hungary’s central bank is committed to buy green government bonds as part of its asset purchase programme, the bank said on Monday in a reply to Reuters questions about a 30-year green government bond issue planned for this month. The new forint-denominated green bond will be offered at an auction on April 22, the debt agency said in a reply to Reuters questions on Monday. The agency said it planned to sell 90 billion forints ($300 million) worth of the bond in 2021.
The National Bank of Hungary, led by an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has injected huge sums into the pandemic-hit economy over the past year, including billions of euros worth of government bond purchases. This has supported the local bond market at a time of surging borrowing needs. “The NBH is committed to buy green government bonds as part of its asset purchase programme under similar conditions to any other government bond,” the central bank said.
“The NBH is prepared to purchase these instruments to the extent needed to facilitate stable market conditions,” it added.
In order to meet this goal, the central bank said, it was prepared to increase its share to similar levels as in the case of other long-term government bonds. The pace of its purchases would be flexible, the bank added, and it would closely monitor the market and demand for the new bond.
The European Central Bank also buys green bonds as part of its corporate sector purchase programme and holds roughly a fifth of eligible green assets, in line with the corporate bond universe, buying green bonds in proportion to the market.
https://www.reuters.com/article/hungary-cenbank-bonds/update-2-hungarys-central-bank-to-buy-green-government-bonds-in-qe-scheme-idUSL1N2M50H0
Taiwan Records Largest Ever Incursion By Chinese Air Force With 25 Planes Monday
China has continued its muscle-flexing exercises near Taiwan on Monday, this time sending an unprecedentedly large group of aircraft to breach Taiwan's defense zone.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry has announced that 25 Chinese Air Force planes entered its airspace, which included 18 fighter jets escorting four long-range bombers. It marks the largest ever Chinese aerial incursion since Taiwan began recording and publicly disclosing the data and follows last month's 20-strong Chinese aircraft incursion.
25 PLA aircraft (Y-8 ASW2, KJ-500 AEW&C, J-104, J-1614 and H-6K4) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on Apr. 12, 2021. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/Lv5b0tXxvF pic.twitter.com/gPG3CKYpf9
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) April 12, 2021
As is typical in such aggressive Chinese maneuvers near the island, Taiwan said it scrambled its own jets while also issuing radio warnings, and further its military said "air defense missile systems deployed to monitor the activity." It's widely perceived that Beijing's uptick in such flights, which have become 'routine' on a near daily basis, are meant to send a political message warning both secessionist forces in the democratic island as well as their superpower backer the United States.
Monday's largest ever PLA breach of airspace further comes a day after Biden's secretary of state Antony Blinken hit out at Beijing over the Taiwan issue, warning it would be a "serious mistake" for anyone to try and change the status quo in the western Pacific via military threats. Of course, that's precisely the charge Beijing has lately leveled back, claiming it's Washington which is the one reneging on the 'One China' policy. What we’ve seen, and what is of real concern to us, is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the Straits," Blinken told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/taiwan-records-largest-ever-incursion-chinese-air-force-25-planes-monday
https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1381595785632997379
sorry should say "Not enuf went..."