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Geopolitics

Boston Bombing: What We Know (And Don't Know) About The Investigation

BOSTON GLOBE, BOSTON HERALD, CNN (USA), REUTERS

Worldcrunch

BOSTON – Amidst conflicting reports, the around-the-clock investigation continues three days after bombs killed three people and wounded more than 180 during the Boston Marathon.

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to fly to Boston on Thursday to lead an interfaith service for the victims of the bombing, amid conflicting reports that may hamper the search for a suspect, Reuters reports.

Here is what we know...

-No arrests have been made.In a statement published Wednesday on its website, the F.B.I. scolded news outlets for mistakenly reporting that an arrest had been made: "Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting."

-Investigators are making good progress and have spotted two men of "high interest" sifting through CCTV footage, the Boston Herald reports. The clear video shows one of the two potential suspects dropping a bag near the finish line and leaving the scene.

- The pieces of evidence recovered so far have helped experts determine that at least one bomb was fashioned from a six-liter pressure cooker stuffed with explosives laced with nails and ball-bearings, the Boston Globe reports.

[rebelmouse-image 27086687 alt="""" original_size="600x429" expand=1]

Fragment of a pressure cooker believed to be part of one of the bombs - Photo: FBI

-The FBI said there was "no indication of a connection" between the Boston bomb attacks and the letters containing the deadly poison ricin sent to Obama and two other officials on Wednesday.

- Obama declared an emergency in Massachusetts and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts, CNN reports.

... and (as of Thursday a.m.) what we still don't know:

-Foreign terrorists or inside job? Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told Reuters there were no "clear indications" to support one theory over the other.

-One or many? While Obama described the bombings as an act of terrorism, it is still not known whether they were the work of a group or "a malevolent individual."

-Motive? The fact that the marathon bombings in April, a month particularly pregnant with violent events in U.S. history, makes it difficult to pinpoint a motive for the attack.

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Economy

How A Xi Jinping Dinner In San Francisco May Have Sealed Mastercard's Arrival In China

The credit giant becomes only the second player after American Express to be allowed to set up a bank card-clearing RMB operation in mainland China.

Photo of a hand holding a phone displaying an Union Pay logo, with a Mastercard VISA logo in the background of the photo.

Mastercard has just been granted a bank card clearing license in China.

Liu Qianshan

-Analysis-

It appears that one of the biggest beneficiaries from Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to San Francisco was Mastercard.

The U.S. credit card giant has since secured eagerly anticipated approval to expand in China's massive financial sector, having finally obtained long sought approval from China's central bank and financial regulatory authorities to initiate a bank card business in China through its joint venture with its new Chinese partner.

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Through a joint venture in China between Mastercard and China's NetsUnion Clearing Corporation, dubbed Mastercard NUCC, it has officially entered mainland China as an RMB currency clearing organization. It's only the second foreign business of its kind to do so following American Express in 2020.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the development is linked to Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting on Nov. 15 with U.S. President Joe Biden in San Francisco, part of a two-day visit that also included dinner that Xi had with U.S. business executives.

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