Month: February 2025
Google, Meta execs blast Europe over strict AI regulation as Big Tech ups the ante
STOCKHOLM — Executives at U.S. tech giants Google and Meta said that Europe’s artificial intelligence industry is being held back by excessive regulation, adding to rhetoric from Donald Trump’s administration that the region’s strict tech rules are choking innovation. Speaking at the Techarena tech conference in Stockholm, Sweden, public policy chiefs at both Google and […]
Read More
Beijing embraces DeepSeek to lead AI adoption as it looks for new growth drivers
This week’s news that the DeepSeek Chatbot app, developed by China, was downloaded from the Apple app store significantly more times than the US-developed ChatGPT from Open AI, wiped billions off the global tech market. Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty Images DeepSeek’s sudden splash in the large language model space has given […]
Read More
Europe stocks set for muted open after Thursday’s sell-off on Wall Street
Standard Chartered beats market expectations Standard Chartered has beaten market forecasts with its latest results, as the bank made $1.6 billion for the fourth quarter before setting aside money for bad loans. The bank did particularly well in its wealth management arm, according to Jefferies analysts, where income rose by more than a third compared […]
Read More
Tony Hawk on turning down $500,000 for Pro Skater: ‘The best financial decision of my life’
Skateboarder Tony Hawk performs a trick as his role as an ambassador for shoe company Vans. Vans STOCKHOLM — Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk once turned down half a million dollars in future royalties from the popular video game Pro Skater — and he says it was the “best financial decision” of his life. Hawk was offered $500,000 […]
Read More
Trump ‘doesn’t care’ what happens to Ukraine, former foreign minister claims as U.S.-Kyiv relations sour
Dmytro Kuleba, former Foreign Minister of Ukraine, presents his new book “Ukraine 2030 – Vision of a Nation” in an interview with the German Press Agency. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump doesn’t appear to be concerned about Ukraine’s post-war future, the country’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told […]
Read More
Germany’s election will usher in new leadership — but might not turn tides for the country’s struggling economy
Production at the VW plant in Emden. Sina Schuldt | Picture Alliance | Getty Images The struggling German economy has been a major talking point among critics of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ government during the latest election campaign — but analysts warn a new leadership might not turn these tides. As voters prepare to head to […]
Read More
StanChart sets $1.5 billion buyback after 18% rise in annual profit
Standard Chartered Plc bank branch in Hong Kong Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Standard Chartered announced on Friday a $1.5 billion share buyback and a higher earnings target, after reporting its annual profit rose 18% on the back of record growth in its wealth business and strong markets performance. The London-based bank reported pretax profit for […]
Read More
Alibaba shares soar 11% in Hong Kong after stellar earnings as China’s e-commerce sector recovers
The Alibaba office building is seen in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China, on Aug 28, 2024. CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty Images Alibaba shares surged in Hong Kong Friday following stellar quarterly results, boosted by growth in the company’s cloud Intelligence and e-commerce segments. The Chinese tech giant’s shares soared as much as as 11%, […]
Read More
China backs Trump’s Ukraine peace bid at G20 as U.S. allies rally behind Zelenskyy
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, at the G20 meeting in South Africa on Feb. 20, 2025. Phill Magakoe | Afp | Getty Images BEIJING, Feb 21 (Reuters) – China came out in support of U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, at a G20 meeting […]
Read More
Asia-Pacific markets mixed as investors weigh Japan inflation data, Trump tariff threats
Tokyo, Japan skyline with the Tokyo Tower Chunyip Wong | E+ | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets trade mixed Friday as investors assessed inflation data from Japan, while the threat of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs dents investor sentiment. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.43%, while the Topix declined 0.33%. Japan’s inflation rate in January climbed to […]
Read More