At least 45 people were killed and more than 200 wounded when a freak "mini-cyclone" hit northwest Pakistan overnight. Mana Rabiee reports.
Israel pounded Gaza with air strikes and artillery fire in its war against Hamas on Wednesday after the US Congress approved $13 billion in military aid.Early Wednesday, hospital and security sources in Gaza reported Israeli air strikes in Rafah, as well as the central Nuseirat refugee camp.
A Russian deputy defence minister exposed in an investigation by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny's team was remanded in custody Wednesday on suspicion of taking large bribes.He faces up to 15 years in prison for bribe-taking "on a particularly large scale", it added.
The G7 group of nations are looking to use nearly $300 billion worth of Russian financial assets frozen by sanctions since 2022 to help support Ukraine, but how it will be done remains highly complex given it would set a controversial precedent. Washington continues to back the idea of seizing the immobilised Russian reserves in their entirety and handing them to Ukraine. Some top lawyers argue it can be done under a doctrine of international law known as "countermeasures".
Tech giant Cisco Systems on Wednesday joined Microsoft and IBM in signing onto a Vatican-sponsored pledge to ensure artificial intelligence is developed and used ethically and to benefit the common good. Cisco Systems chief executive Chuck Robbins signed the document, known as the Rome Call, and met privately with Pope Francis, the Vatican said. The document was unveiled and signed at a Vatican conference on Feb. 28, 2020 — just before Italy locked down as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic — by Microsoft’s Brad Smith and IBM’s John Kelly III. Universities, U.N. agencies, private corporations and nongovernmental organizations have signed on as well.
Tesla's surge is putting Big Tech earnings center stage as investors look to megacaps to lift stocks.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it was also seeking comments on Microsoft's hiring of former employees of Inflection AI and related arrangements. This forms the first part of its information gathering process and comes before the start of a formal investigation. "The CMA is also considering feedback received earlier this year on Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI and is currently waiting for information it has requested from the firms," it said.
The Senate advanced a landmark bill that gives China's ByteDance up to one year to divest TikTok or face a US ban on the app. The next stop is the desk of President Biden, who has promised to sign it.
The medical equipment maker in January signaled that muted demand for its services used in the making of therapies and vaccines will extend at least into the first half of the year, but could pick up later. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based firm said it now expects annual adjusted profit of $21.14 to $22.02 per share, compared with its previous forecast of $20.95 to $22 per share. Analysts had estimated a profit of $21.53 per share for 2024, according to LSEG data.
Iran has reduced its military footprint in Syria after a succession of strikes blamed on Israel, a source close to Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and a war monitor said Wednesday.But Iran had already begun drawing down its forces after a January 20 strike that killed five Revolutionary Guards in Damascus, including their Syria intelligence chief and his deputy, the source close to Hezbollah said.
US President Joe Biden vowed to send fresh weapons to Ukraine within days as he prepared to sign on Wednesday an aid package including $61 billion meant to help Kyiv's forces push back against Russia.- Aid 'within days' - A Pentagon spokesperson told reporters Tuesday it could deliver fresh aid to Ukraine "within days."
Puerto Rico will hold a Democratic presidential primary on Sunday, which will be the only opportunity most registered voters on the island will have to officially weigh in on the race for the White House. Like other U.S. territories, voters in Puerto Rico can’t cast ballots in the general election but may participate in presidential primaries and send delegates to both the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer. President Joe Biden has already won enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination and faces minimal opposition on the ballot Sunday.
India's economy is strong—but voters are worried about unemployment
Congress voted to set up a path for a TikTok ban in the U.S. within a year, meaning the app will not be banned until after the 2024 election.
Columbia University has given students 48 hours to dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment on the school's main lawn.
The company also said its Alzheimer's drug Leqembi, developed with Japanese partner Eisai, recorded global sales of about $19 million, nearly tripling from the fourth quarter of 2023. The number of patients on Leqembi have increased nearly 2.5 times since the end of 2023, Biogen said. Biogen and Eisai also intend to increase their sales force as they aim for 100,000 patients by 2026.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned Wednesday to China on his second visit in a year, as the United States ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing.But Blinken is also seeking to stabilise ties, with tensions between the world's two largest economies palpably easing since his last visit in June.
Shares of the company rose 3.3% in premarket trading after the health insurer also raised its 2024 individual Medicare Advantage growth target by 50,000 members. The company said it has taken a more conservative approach towards reserves for medical claims following disruptions caused by a recent hack at UnitedHealth tech unit Change Healthcare. Chief Financial Officer Susan Marie Diamond said last month about 15% to 20% of Humana's medical claims were dependent on the UnitedHealth unit.
European Union citizens will vote on June 6-9 in elections to choose 720 new members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for the next five years. The European Parliament is one of the three main EU institutions that run the 27-nation bloc. Along with EU governments, it decides on laws that govern common European policies and the EU market of almost 450 million people.
Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 4.57% rise in retirees' pensions from this summer, well above the current rate of inflation. Rises in German pensions are linked largely to wage developments. The increase will take effect on July 1, the first time since 2000 that pensions in Europe's biggest economy have risen by more than the annual inflation rate, which in March stood at 2.2%, German news agency dpa reported.
The former leader of Northern Ireland’s biggest unionist party made his first court appearance Wednesday on sexual abuse charges dating back nearly four decades. Jeffrey Donaldson, 61, faces one charge of rape and 10 other counts dating from 1985 to 2006. The two did not enter pleas during a brief appearance together in Newry Magistrates Court.
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