China: Regime blocks Meta’s $2 billion takeover of AI startup Manus

Source: CNBC

“China’s state planner on Monday called for Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of Manus, a Singaporean artificial intelligence startup with Chinese roots. The decision to prohibit foreign investment in Manus was made in accordance with laws and regulations, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a brief statement. It added that it has asked the parties involved to withdraw the acquisition transaction. … The deal had attracted scrutiny from both China and Washington, as lawmakers in the U.S. have prohibited American investors from backing Chinese AI companies directly. Meanwhile, Beijing has increased efforts to discourage Chinese AI founders from moving business offshore.” (04/27/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/meta-manus-china-blocks-acquisition-ai-startup.html

Thomas L. Knapp

When a Chicken Isn’t Just a Chicken

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Patrick J Lee

“A man stands at a farmers market stall. His wife is talking to the farmer. He picks up a chicken. Paper-wrapped, no barcode, a handwritten tag on the twine. He holds it close to read the label and sets it back down fast. The price is an insult. What are these people thinking? A minute later, another man reaches for the same bird, reads the same label, and smiles. What a deal. Same chicken, same label, same words. … Mises was clear that prices don’t emerge from some objective measure of worth. They emerge from subjective valuations, each party to an exchange believing—at the moment of transaction—that what he receives is worth more than what he gives up. The price is not a fact about the chicken. It is the meeting point of two different minds reading the world differently.” (04/27/26)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/when-chicken-isnt-just-chicken

Thomas L. Knapp

Faith Should Form Our Political Beliefs, Not Justify Them

Source: The Dispatch
by Andy Smarick

“The recent scuffle between Pope Leo XIV and the Trump administration, Vice President J.D. Vance in particular, reveals a great deal about the role faith principles play in shaping (and not shaping) those in public life. This ugly episode confirms what our era has been teaching us: America would be far healthier if more of our leaders were faithful to principles instead of partisanship, pique, or personal ambition.” (04/27/26)

https://thedispatch.com/article/catholicism-converts-pope-leo-jd-vance/

Thomas L. Knapp

Sri Lanka: Monks arrested after 110kg of cannabis discovered in their luggage

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“Twenty-two monks have been arrested at an airport in Sri Lanka after officials discovered 110kg (242lbs) of cannabis concealed in their luggage. Customs officials said each monk was found with around 5kg of Kush — a particularly potent form of the drug — hidden within ‘false walls’ in their luggage when they arrived in the capital Colombo on Saturday. The monks, who were mainly students, were returning from Thailand after being treated to an all-expenses-paid four-day holiday by an unnamed sponsor when they were detained. A 23rd monk, believed to have organised the trip, has since been arrested in a suburb of Colombo, police told BBC Sinhala. According to the acting police spokesman, the monk — who did not join the trip — had told the other monks that ‘these parcels are a donation’ and that a van would come to collect the packages.” (04/27/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4v4nzwj94o

Steve Trinward