Oil prices surge as Trump hits Russian crude with sanctions
The international benchmark contract, Brent North Sea crude, jumped 4.8 percent while West Texas Intermediate was up 5.1 percent. Trump on Wednesday announced...Economy Geostrategy
Iraq bans Roblox game platform citing ‘moral values’
Iraq has banned US gaming platform Roblox over what it described as sexual content, blasphemy and risks of online blackmail...Technology
OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon...The slain civil rights leader's estate and OpenAI said the company would pause generations depicting King while it "strengthens guardrails for historical figures."
Videos reanimating other dead figures including Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Amy Winehouse have flooded social media since Sora 2's launch on September 30.
Building a secure future: Key takeaways from WEF’s Dubai meetings
The Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity, held jointly with the Global Future Councils, focused on strengthening global cooperation to enhance digital...It convened over 500 experts from government, business, civil society and media, together with 150 of the world’s foremost cybersecurity leaders.
Participants identified key innovations, policies and business models that could drive meaningful and sustainable economic growth.
Prone to conflict, displacement, climate shocks, investing in cities is a strategy for global stability
Addressing fragility in cities is, therefore, not only a social imperative; it is also a crucial economic consideration. It is...Conflict, displacement and climate shocks converge in cities, threatening global stability
Stable urban systems unlock private sector confidence, strengthen security and create shared prosperity
Asian markets rally as Fed cut hopes trump trade war fears
Stocks jumped Wednesday as trade war fears were overshadowed by comments from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that suggested the...After a volatile couple of days characterised by a fresh flare-up in China-US tensions, investors took the opportunity to jump back into the market and resume a months-long rally
Powell has for most of the year walked a fine line between trying to keep a cap on US inflation while also supporting the labour market, even as he faced abuse from President Trump
IMF lifts 2025 global growth forecast, warns of ongoing trade ‘uncertainty’
In its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO) report -- compiled before the most recent US-China tariff spat -- the IMF...The global inflation rate is expected to remain elevated at 4.2 percent this year, and 3.7 percent in 2026.
The IMF raised its prospects for economic growth for the United States, the world's largest economy, by 0.1 percent this year and next, to 2.0 percent in 2025.
WEF’s Dubai Summit tackles existential digital risks
DUBAI, UAE – A powerful confluence of more than 500 experts and 150 cybersecurity leaders has converged in Dubai for...The meeting will inform and drive collaborative solutions to shared challenges.
This year’s meetings will provide much-needed space to navigate uncertainty, decode emerging trends and strengthen resilience.
Nobel economist warns of AI dangers amid “amazing possibilities”
Washington, United States - A winner of this year’s Nobel prize in economics warned Monday that artificial intelligence offers "amazing...The remarks from Canadian Peter Howitt, professor emeritus at Brown University in the United States, came amid growing concerns about how AI will impact society and labor market
Howitt was one of three economists honored Monday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for work on how technology drives and affects growth
As Trump mulls imposing additional 100% tariff, China says will ‘fight to the end’ in trade war
China said on Tuesday it was ready to "fight to the end" in a trade war with the United States..."On the matter of tariff wars and trade wars, China's position remains consistent," an unnamed commerce ministry spokesperson said
Concerns spiked over the weekend that the trade war between the world's top two economies will worsen after Trump announced extra 100 percent tariffs on all Chinese goods
AI or inequality tipped for economics Nobel
Stockholm, Sweden - The Nobel economics prize wraps up the 2025 season when it is announced on Monday, as experts...Last year it went to Turkish-American Daron Acemoglu and British-Americans Simon Johnson and James Robinson for research into wealth inequality between nations
For Micael Dahlen, a professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, it is important to look at the disciplines recognised in previous years
China accuses US of ‘double standards’ over new tariffs threat
Beijing, China -- China accused the United States of "double standards" on Sunday, after President Donald Trump threatened an additional...China said on Friday that it would impose "special port fees" on ships operated by and built in the US, calling it a "defensive action."
The US leader also threatened to pull out of a mooted meeting with Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.
