Tag: Region Asias

Amazon pours an additional $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon said Wednesday it is pouring an additional $2.75 billion into Anthropic, bringing its total investment in the artificial intelligence startup to $4 billion. Amazon will maintain a minority stake in San Francisco-based Anthropic, a rival of ChatGPT maker OpenAI. “Generative AI is poised to be the most transformational technology of our time, and we believe…

As Boeing turbulence persists: A look at past crashes and safety issues involving the plane maker

The American plane maker has been under intense pressure since early January, when a panel blew off a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max midflight. That’s spotlighted a lengthy series of safety and manufacturing problems that have piled up for Boeing over the years — including two devastating crashes that also involved Max jets. Leadership shakeups have arrived amid this turmoil,…

Russian Soyuz spacecraft with 3 astronauts docks at the International Space Station

The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus reached the space outpost after Saturday’s blastoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan that followed an aborted launch attempt two days earlier. Thursday’s attempted launch was halted by an automatic safety system about 20 seconds before the scheduled liftoff. Roscosmos and…

China examining PwC role in $105 billion Evergrande fraud case

SHANGHAI – The Chinese authorities are examining the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers in China Evergrande Group’s accounting practices after the developer was accused of a US$78 billion (S$105 billion) fraud, ramping up pressure on the global accounting giant that audited a slew of developers before the sector’s meltdown. The country’s securities regulator this week accused Evergrande’s main onshore subsidiary Hengda Real…

Rich Indians own 40% of wealth in extreme inequality under Modi

  MUMBAI – India’s inequality gap has widened sharply under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decade in power, with the richest 1 per cent of the population now owning 40 per cent of the country’s wealth, a new study found. The top 1 per cent, or about 9.2 million people, earn 22.6 per cent of total income – the highest share…

CEO of Singapore’s CIX carbon credit exchange resigns

SINGAPORE – Mr Mikkel Larsen, chief executive officer of Singapore’s Climate Impact X (CIX), a carbon credit exchange and marketplace, has announced his resignation, CIX said in a statement on March 21. Mr Larsen, 49, will remain in his role until a new or interim CEO is appointed. He will continue to serve as a member of CIX’s board thereafter,…

Ukraine Hits Oil Facilities In Attack Inside Russia

  Ukrainian drones were used to hit multiple targets in a sweeping attack on Russia that reportedly ignited fires at two major oil facilities and saw armed groups cross into Russian territory. Russia’s Defense Ministry said nine of its regions were attacked by Ukrainian drones, while Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Belgorod region early on March 12. The…

Netanyahu’s rule ‘in jeopardy’, says US intelligence report

Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition is “in jeopardy”, according to a US intelligence assessment that highlighted mass protests against Israel’s prime minister and the prospect of looming elections. The conclusions over Netanyahu’s precarious political position were part of the US intelligence community’s “annual threat assessment” report on Monday, which reflects the “collective insights” of Washington’s intelligence agencies. “Netanyahu’s viability as leader…

Boeing faces criminal investigation by DOJ for Alaska Airlines plane blowout

As you read through the details of the DOJ investigation, ask yourself why Boeing was permitted to regulte itself. Deregulation is a choice made by government.  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner incident that occurred on an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this year, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. According to…

Boeing 747-9 mid-air malfunction: Inability to locate records for door panel maintenance

In a letter addressed to Congress, Boeing has admitted the inability to locate records for maintenance performed on a door panel that malfunctioned during an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon two months ago. “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen.Maria Cantwell on Friday….

United Airlines Boeing jet rolls off runway with 166 aboard

A United Airlines jet with 166 passengers aboard rolled off the runway into a grassy area in Houston on Friday morning, making it the third such mishap involving a Boeing plane this week. No casualties were reported, the Airlines said in a statement. Video footage taken after the landing showed the plane leaning to one side, with one of its…

Ledger of Shame: Macron urges Ukraine’s allies not to be ‘cowards’

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday urged Ukraine’s allies not to be “cowards” in supporting the country to fight off the Russian invasion. It seems that only a coward can fear nuclear conflict, in Macron’s view. Are all political ‘leaders’ losing their minds? Maybe. Or maybe it is only the insecure ones who need to put forth such grand (verbal)…

‘Worse than 9/11’: Musk attacks Biden over ‘illegal immigrants’

NEW DELHI: Elon Musk on Tuesday in a social media post on X bashed President Joe Biden referring to a news report which says “Biden administration ADMITS flying 320,000 migrants secretly into US to reduce the number of crossing at the border has nation security vulnerability.” Elon musk said “This administration is both importing voters and creating a national security…

Public Opinion: Neither Trump nor Biden have mental capability to be president

According to a recent survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a growing number of US adults have doubts about President Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s ability to effectively perform the duties required of a US president. Source: https://apnorc.org/projects/many-are-concerned-about-bidens-mental-fitness-and-job-performance/

Freedom House: Civil Liberties Decline Globally for 18th Year

washington —  Civil liberties declined globally for the 18th consecutive year in 2023, with conflict and flawed elections the biggest factors, a new report has found. Political rights and civil liberties deteriorated for more than one-fifth of the population, the non-profit group Freedom House found. And only one-fifth of the 210 countries and territories the research group analyzed was found…

US Indicts Japanese Crime Boss Takeshi Ebisawa and assiciate Somphop Singhasiri for Alleged Trafficking of Nuclear Materials to Iran

In a significant legal move, authorities in the United States have brought charges against the head of a prominent Japanese criminal organization, accusing him of orchestrating a scheme to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar, with the intended destination being Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Takeshi Ebisawa, aged 60, stands accused alongside his associate, Somphop Singhasiri, aged 61, of engaging in a…