China opens digital yuan hub in Shanghai to boost global use
The hub will support digital finance trade, investment, innovation, and strengthen the country’s overseas financial links [SHANGHAI] China’s central bank has opened a digital yuan operations centre in Shanghai featuring platforms for cross-border payments, blockchain technology and digital assets, marking another step in the country’s push for global adoption of its currency. The People’s Bank…
Read MoreGermany to ‘rearm’ drone defence in light of rising Russia tensions
Germany is set to ramp up its air defence to protect against drone incursions amid an increase in hybrid attacks launched by Russia, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Thursday. Pointing to recent “violations of the airspace of our European neighbours,” drone overflights and cyberattacks, Dobrindt told lawmakers gathered in the lower house to discuss…
Read MoreStarbucks to close stores, cut 900 jobs in US$1 billion restructuring
The company says its overall store count will drop by 1% during the 2025 fiscal year [SEATTLE] Starbucks said it will close stores and eliminate 900 jobs in a US$1 billion restructuring effort as the company amps up a turnaround plan under new chief executive officer Brian Niccol. The company said its overall store count…
Read MoreVietnam Jails 43 in $3.8B Crypto Gambling Ring
| Credit: Getty Images. Key Takeaways A court in Vietnam sentenced over 40 people for an illicit online crypto gambling operation worth $3.8 billion. The gang used illicit websites to allow users to convert dong into tokens like Ethereum for gambling use. The sites reached up to 20,000 users and 25 million accounts. Forty-three people…
Read MoreNicolas Sarkozy found guilty of criminal conspiracy in Libya case
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to taking millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. The Paris criminal court acquitted him of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. Sarkozy, who claims the case is…
Read MoreSAP and OpenAI to deliver sovereign AI solutions in Germany
SAP and OpenAI have launched OpenAI for Germany, a partnership that pairs the former’s enterprise application expertise with the ChatGPT maker’s advanced AI capabilities to serve Germany’s public sector. OpenAI for Germany aims to deliver AI functionality through SAP’s subsidiary Delos Cloud, utilising Microsoft Azure infrastructure. The arrangement is structured to meet German requirements for…
Read MoreWhat Pan-Africanism Can Teach Us Now
French, a longtime journalist and author, most recently, of Born in Blackness, a crucial text that reaffirmed the important role sub-Saharan Africa played in the development of modern civilization, takes a similarly forward-looking approach. He challenges lazy theories that attribute Africa’s current economic precarity and political instability to incompetence and wonders what the continent might look like…
Read MoreA Children’s Book That Actually Feels Like Childhood
One of the perks of parenthood, it is often said, is to relive the joys of one’s youth, to share with your child everything you once loved—especially books. Before I was a parent, I was skeptical of this idea, being generally suspicious of nostalgia and knowing memory to be a poor replica of reality. And,…
Read MoreVideo filmed during Nepal protests misrepresented as fire in Dhaka
A video of a police station set on fire during “Gen Z” protests in Nepal has resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it shows a blaze in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. The video corresponds to Google Street View imagery of the police station in Nepal’s Banepa municipality. “Terrible fire in Dhaka’s Demra. People are jumping…
Read MoreNATO Ally Denmark Calls Mystery Drones Chaos ‘Hybrid Attack’
Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the recent wave of disruptive drone flights near the NATO ally’s airports and military installations are a “hybrid attack”. Poulsen said at a press conference on Thursday that the incidents appear to be coordinated and the drones were flown at critical infrastructure. But he said Danish authorities do…
Read MoreMalawi’s ex-president wins election in comeback at age 85
Malawi’s former President Peter Mutharika has been declared the winner of last week’s elections, in a huge comeback for the 85-year-old. Official results show that he won 57% of the vote, compared to the 33% of President Lazarus Chakwera, 70. Chakwera, a pastor before entering politics, conceded defeat ahead of the final result being declared,…
Read MoreCenturion Accommodation Reit opens 11.4% above IPO price on SGX debut
[SINGAPORE] Units of Centurion Accommodation Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) rose 11.4 per cent on Thursday (Sep 25) as it made its debut on the Singapore Exchange (SGX). The counter opened at S$0.98 at 2 pm, S$0.10 higher than its initial public offering (IPO) price of S$0.88 per unit. This is the second-biggest mainboard listing…
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