Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Shell head criticizes freeze on issuing licenses for USA LNG exports
Shell CEO Wael Sawan claims that the industry as a whole is suffering from the US President Joe Biden administration's decision to halt the licensing of new LNG export projects,…
Published on February 6, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Charles III diagnosed with cancer
King Charles III of the UK was given a cancer diagnosis and has been receiving treatment since February 5, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. The palace stated that…
Published on February 6, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
Americans to spend around $25.8B on Valentine’s Day in 2024
According to a survey conducted by the US National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans would spend approximately $25.8 billion overall on Valentine's Day (February 14) this year, nearly unchanged from the…
Published on February 4, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
BAT and Philip Morris settle patent dispute over e-cigarettes
According to a press announcement from BAT, US-based Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco (BAT) have reached a global settlement agreement to end their patent battle over HTP, or…
Published on February 4, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Reuters warns of worsening aircraft shortage amid problems with 737 MAX
According to Reuters, the decision by US authorities to prohibit the growth of Boeing 737 MAX manufacturing is making the lack of new aircraft worse and pushing carriers to extend…
Published on February 1, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
Bank of England keeps benchmark rate at 5.25 pp
The Bank of England maintained the benchmark interest rate at 5.25% annually, in line with predictions made by analysts.
Published on February 1, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
Shares of Chinese companies collapse to five-year low
According to Bloomberg, China's primary stock index, the CSI 300, dropped by about 1% and hit a five-year low.
Published on February 1, 2024
By Iris Barker
Art & Art Market
Morgan Stanley expects AI sector to equal Spain’s power consumption by 2027
Morgan Stanley analysts expect that by 2027, the generative artificial intelligence sector of the economy will require as much electricity as all of Spain did in 2022.
Published on February 1, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
TotalEnergies buys 200 electric refueling stations in Spain powered by renewable
Wenea and TotalEnergies have reached an agreement for the development of an electric vehicle refueling station network in Spain. As a first step, TotalEnergies purchased Wenea’s subsidiary Nordian CPO, which…
Published on January 31, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund sees record returns in 2023
The largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, the State Pension Fund of Norway (often known as the Oil Fund), has reported a record profit of 2.222 billion kroner ($213…
Published on January 31, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Toyota becomes world leader in car sales
With more than 10 million cars sold in 2023, Japanese automaker Toyota Motor rose to the top of the global automotive sales rankings for the fourth year in a row.
Published on January 30, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
U.S. doubles foreign arms sales in 2023
Politico reported, using data from the U.S. State Department, that U.S. defense companies will ship $81 billion worth of weapons overseas in 2023, up more than 50% from the previous…
Published on January 30, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
WSJ reports on a new proposal to Israel and Hamas to resolve the conflict
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), international mediators on Gaza have devised yet another plan that would help release hostages and ultimately result in an end to hostilities.
Published on January 28, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Elon Musk’s AI startup X.Ai sets to raise up to $6 billion
The Financial Times reports, citing sources, that Elon Musk's US artificial intelligence business X.Ai is in discussions to raise up to $6 billion in equity money.
Published on January 28, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Hewlett Packard reports a leak from corporate email account
The email is thought to be hacked by Cozy Bear hackers.
Published on January 25, 2024
By Iris Barker
Management
Restaurant chain Chipotle introduces new support measures for Gen Z employees
Furthermore, the company plans to bring on 19,000 more workers for "burrito season."
Published on January 25, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
FT: China restricts investors’ access to overseas assets due to capital flight
According to the Financial Times, Beijing has imposed limitations on investors' access to overseas assets in an effort to halt capital flight.
Published on January 25, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Sanofi to buy assets of US biopharmaceutical Inhibrx for $2.2B
The American biopharmaceutical company Inhibrx is selling its assets to French company Sanofi for a reported $2.2 billion.
Published on January 24, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
US LNG producers cancel a number of exports due to rising domestic prices
Many shipments of US-based LNG exporters have been canceled over the past week, according to S&P Global, which cited sources.
Published on January 24, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
EU imposes sanctions against Syria’s only private airline
The sole private airline operating in Syria, Cham Wings, has been sanctioned by the EU.
Published on January 23, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Saudi Aramco structure to build $6.4B-worth petrochemical complex in China
The project to construct a petrochemical complex in the Chinese province of Fujian has reached a final investment decision, according to Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), which is under the…
Published on January 23, 2024
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
Amazon’s cloud division to invest over $15 billion in infrastructure in Japan
The cloud computing division of American online retailer Amazon.com Inc., Amazon Web Services (AWS), plans to invest 2.26 trillion yen ($15.24 billion) by 2027 to build Japan's cloud infrastructure for…
Published on January 21, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Biden hopes Senate will introduce southern border bill as early as this week
According to Bloomberg, U.S. President Joe Biden voiced optimism that the Senate will be able to create a package on the southern border that will appeal to both Democrats and…
Published on January 21, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Reuters: Reddit plans for IPO in March
Reuters was informed by sources that Reddit is getting ready to go public in March. This would be the first major social media business to go public since Pinterest's IPO…
Published on January 18, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
IMF: Global banking system feels good, but risks in the US and China persist
According to Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), there are risks for certain institutions in the US and China, but overall, the financial system…
Published on January 17, 2024
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
UN Secretary General urges governments and businesses to mitigate risks from AI
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that governments and tech businesses must collaborate to monitor and mitigate the threats posed by artificial intelligence.
Published on January 17, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Apple becomes the largest smartphone manufacturer in 2023
In 2023, Apple surpassed Samsung to take the top spot as a maker of smartphones.
Published on January 17, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
China’s GDP adds 5.2 percent in 2023
The gross domestic product (GDP) of China increased by 5.2 percent in 2023 compared to the official estimate, according to figures released by the State Statistics Bureau on Wednesday.
Published on January 17, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
De Beers cuts diamond prices due to low demand
Due to the weak demand for diamonds, De Beers, one of the biggest diamond miners in the world, lowered the pricing of its goods at its first sale in 2024,…
Published on January 16, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Iceland faces worst damage from volcanic eruption in half a century
According to Bloomberg, Iceland is expecting the biggest in fifty years devastation from a volcanic explosion in the southwest of the country.
Published on January 16, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Tesla loses $94B in capitalization since the beginning of 2024
The U.S. Tesla has lost 94 billion dollars of market value since the beginning of 2024 as the company's shares have plunged, writes Bloomberg.
Published on January 15, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
China’s central bank injects 995B yuan into the financial system under medium-term lending program
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) injected 995 billion yuan ($140 billion) into the financial system under its medium-term lending program (MLF) on Monday.
Published on January 15, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
EBRD supplies record amount of investments to shareholder countries in 2023
According to a press release posted on the bank's website, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) awarded its shareholder countries a record investment volume of €13.1 billion in…
Published on January 12, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to tax charges
Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, entered a not guilty plea to nine counts of omitting to pay taxes totaling at least $1.4 million.
Published on January 12, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Japan’s Fujitsu faces sanctions over email scandal in the UK
According to the Financial Times, the Japanese IT giant Fujitsu is facing financial penalties for giving the British postal corporation Post Office defective software that resulted in the false prosecution…
Published on January 11, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
FT: Investors are warning governments about high state debt levels
Investors are alerting governments throughout the world to the high levels of public debt, pointing out that pre-election disclosures of large borrowing risk could cause the bond market to respond…
Published on January 11, 2024
By Iris Barker
Science & Technology
Intel announces AI chips for cars
One of the biggest producers of computer chips worldwide, Intel, unveiled chips that will enable the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in automobiles, writes Barron's. The processors will primarily…
Published on January 10, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
UN FAO: World food prices fall by almost 14% in 2023
In 2023, global food prices decreased by 13.7%, shows a review by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
Published on January 10, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Shell warns of write-downs of up to $4.5B in Q4
The large oil and gas corporation Shell has issued a forecast indicating that it expects to write down $4.5 billion in assets due to impairment in the fourth quarter of…
Published on January 9, 2024
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Boston Scientific buys its rival Axonics for $3.7B
Axonics, a leader in medical technology, announced in a press release that it is to be acquired by US medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific for an estimated sum of $3.7…
Published on January 9, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
Reuters: Global economy will be close to recession in 2024
The global economy will be on the verge of a recession in 2024 and overall GDP growth may only reach 2.6%, writes Reuters.
Published on January 8, 2024
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
Politico: Hungarian Prime Minister Orban may head European Council
If current European Council chairman Charles Michel steps down, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban might take over as interim leader, Politico reports.
Published on January 7, 2024
By Iris Barker
Economics
Canalys expects global PC market to grow 8% in 2024 on the back of AI integration
According to research firm Canalys, incorporation of artificial intelligence technologies into new devices is expected to drive an 8% growth in the worldwide PC market next year.
Published on December 28, 2023
By Iris Barker
Economics
China’s lithium carbonate price falls to lowest since August 2021
According to Trading Economics, the price of lithium carbonate in China dropped to 97.5 thousand yuan ($13.64 thousand) per ton, the lowest since August 2021.
Published on December 28, 2023
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
MarketWatch: Nvidia’s papers top Wall Street’s list of favorites for growth potential in 2024
Consensus estimates from analysts indicate that the securities' price could increase by 37% in the upcoming year.
Published on December 27, 2023
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
AstraZeneca to buy China’s Gracell for $1.2B
Chinese biotech Gracell Biotechnologies will be acquired by Swedish-British company AstraZeneca for a reported $1.2 billion.
Published on December 27, 2023
By Iris Barker
World & Politics
SCMP: China to develop its own private military companies to protect overseas projects
China plans to establish its own private military enterprises in order to guarantee the security of international projects in unfavorable parts of the globe, according to the South China Morning…
Published on December 24, 2023
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Bayer wins first court victory in Roundup herbicide case
A trial court in San Benito County, California, has rendered a decision in support of Bayer Chemical Corporation, a company that was accused of causing cancer through its Roundup herbicide.
Published on December 24, 2023
By Iris Barker
Economics
South Korea to fight against shrinkflation
The South Korean government will mandate manufacturers to disclose the amount by which a product package's weight or volume has been lowered, starting in 2024. The goal of this measure…
Published on December 21, 2023
By Iris Barker
Business & Finance
Blue Origin bids to buy aerospace company United Launch Alliance
American aerospace companies Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin have received offers from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and private equity firm Cerberus to buy launch vehicle manufacturer United Launch Alliance (ULA),…
Published on December 21, 2023
By Iris Barker
