US Federal Reserve expected to cut rates in last meeting of Biden era
Washington, United States -- The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to announce a quarter point cut to its key lending...
Business
G7 meeting to address Syria’s challenges following Assad’s ouster
Damascus, Syria - G7 leaders will meet virtually Friday to discuss the momentous changes underway in Syria, where the interim government...
Business
OpenAI comes to Asia
The ChatGPT creator opens first Asian office in Tokyo.
- The Japan office is the latest part of the Microsoft-backed firm's international push, having already set up bases in London and Dublin.
- OpenAI, reportedly valued at $80 billion or more earlier this year, is the latest major tech firm to invest in Japan.
Geostrategy
Stocks hit by Iran-Israel fears, containment hopes stem losses
Saturday's bombardment of more than 300 ballistic and cruise missiles and attack drones -- which were mostly repelled by air...
- Asian markets mostly fell Monday, though they pared their initial big losses. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Sydney, Wellington, Singapore, Mumbai, Taipei and Manila were all in the red
- With worries about an escalation subsiding for now, oil prices dipped, though observers warned they could spike back above $100 if the crisis worsens.
Geostrategy
Israel urges Iran sanctions as world warns against escalation
Iran's UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, retorted that the Islamic republic was exercising its "inherent right to self-defence" and "had...
- Iran launched the attack, its first ever to directly target Israeli territory, in retaliation for a deadly air strike widely blamed on Israel on Tehran's consular building in Syria
- The strikes raised Middle East tensions to a dangerous new level six months into a deadly conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza
Business
After long peace, Big Tech faces US antitrust reckoning
Launched under both the Trump and Biden administrations, five major cases from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department...
- The most recent came in March against Apple by the FTC, which alleges the iPhone maker abuses its dominance of the premium smartphone sector.
- Washington had largely remained silent on Big Tech cases since its wars with Microsoft that began in the 1990s and ended in a settlement in the early 2000s.
Geostrategy
Thousands gather in Iran in show of support for attack on Israel
Iran's attack came in retaliation for an April 1 strike that levelled the five-storey consular annexe of the Iranian embassy...
- "Death to Israel!" and "Death to America!" chanted demonstrators in Tehran's Palestine Square shortly afterIran announced the launch of Operation Honest Promise
- A mural saying "the next slap is fiercer" was unveiled in the square where a huge banner has hung for days calling, in Hebrew, for Israelis to "take shelter."
Geostrategy
Call for restraint grows as Iran warns of ‘stronger response’ if attacked
As expected, Iran retaliated early Sunday by firing more than 200 drones and missiles toward Israel in response to Israel's...
- Iran had repeatedly threatened to strike Israel in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on its Damascus consular office that killed 9 people
- People in across Israel sought cover amid chaso as residents also stockpiled water and other daily needs items reported local media
Geostrategy
US troops head to region as fears grow of Gaza war’s spread
Fears of regional escalation grew after a strike on Iran's consular annex at its embassy in Damascus. Tehran blames the...
- Airlines said they are avoiding Iranian airspace, nearly two weeks after a strike, which Iran blamed on Israel, destroyed Tehran's consular annex at its embassy in Damascus.
- Tensions have also flared in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where settler attacks left at least one Palestinian dead and dozens injured.
Geostrategy
IMF confirms Kristalina Georgieva for second five-year term
It means that Georgieva, who was the sole candidate in the running to lead the International Monetary Fund, will continue...
- Georgieva, a 70-year-old Bulgarian, has run the IMF since 2019, and told AFP last month that she was making herself "available to serve, if people want me to serve."
- Under a controversial, decades-old agreement between Europe and the United States, the International Monetary Fund has historically been led by a European.
Geostrategy
Israel pounds Gaza as Iran attack threat puts region on edge
The latest bombardments in Gaza came after Israel said it had strengthened air defences and paused leave for combat units,...
- US President Joe Biden said he expected Iran to attempt to strike Israel soon but warned it against attacking the US ally in retaliation for the April 1 strike
- Authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza reported dozens of new air strikes in the central region where most Israeli troops have regrouped in recent days
Geostrategy
Defence minister says Israel ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with US on Iran
"Our enemies think that they can pull apart Israel and the United States, but the opposite is true -- they...
- "Our enemies think that they can pull apart Israel and the United States, but they are bringing us together and strengthening our ties", Gallant said
- Fears that Iran could soon launch a retaliatory attack spurred France to recommend on Friday that its citizens avoid travelling to the region
US Federal Reserve expected to cut rates in last meeting of Biden era
Washington, United States -- The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to announce a quarter point cut to its key lending...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Netflix adds millions of subscribers but growth slows
San Francisco, United States - Netflix on Thursday said it added more than five million subscribers in the recently ended quarter...
Business
‘Starvation tactics’ being used against 25 million people in Sudan
UN experts on Thursday accused the two sides in Sudan's civil war of using "starvation tactics" against 25 million civilians,...
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza as Iran issues fresh warning over Israeli retaliation
Israel and the US government officials express "relief" at the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. He became the militant...
Geostrategy
Most Read
“Sextortion” of teens puts Instagram in trouble; Meta announces new combat measures
Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta accepts the rise of child/teen predators on Instagram and subsequently announces measures to battle...
- New measures to fight sextortion, a form of online blackmail where criminals coerce victims, often teens, into sending sexually explicit images of themselves
- In some countries, Instagram will show teens a video in their feeds about how to spot sextortion scams
Economy
UN report says 1.1 billion people in acute poverty
More than one billion people are living in acute poverty across the globe, a UN Development Program report said Thursday,...
- 455 million live in the shadow of conflict, while 584 million people under 18 were experiencing extreme poverty
- India was the country with the largest number of people in extreme poverty which impacts 234 million of its 1.4 billion population
Geostrategy
Escalating Conflict: Israel strikes Hezbollah in Lebanon killing mayor war
Hezbollah claimed it destroyed an Israeli tank using a guided missile, while Israel reported killing Hezbollah leader Jalal Mustafa Hariri...
- The latest exchanges came as Israel faced increasing international pressure after UN peacekeepers in Lebanon were wounded
- The region is braced for Israel's promised retaliation against its arch-foe Iran for launching around 200 missiles at Israel on October 1