Most Asian markets built on a global rally Friday as worries about the banking sector fade and traders grow optimistic central banks are near the end of their interest rate hiking cycle.. Investors are now awaiting the release of US and eurozone inflation data later in the day, which should provide a better insight into how much impact rate hikes are having in taming prices.
A fugitive Chinese billionaire plans to auction "unvaccinated sperm" on an online platform rife with misinformation -- a sale that vaccine skeptics bill optimistically as a chance to buy the "next Bitcoin.". - Profit from falsehoods - The online chatter appears to have fueled a belief among vaccine skeptics that the sperm represents a lucrative financial opportunity.
US President Joe Biden called on banking regulators Thursday to reinstate tougher rules on midsized banks, saying that doing so would prevent future failures like that of Silicon Valley Bank.. "I think that any time you have a bank failure like this, bank management clearly failed, supervisors failed and our regulatory system failed," Barr said Wednesday.
Former FTX chief Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty Thursday to five criminal charges recently added by US prosecutors in the government's sprawling case against the former cryptocurrency wunderkind.. Bankman-Fried, known as "SBF," had in January entered a "not guilty" plea to eight other criminal charges from his original indictment, including fraud.
The investor whose $190 million auction bid won him the world-famous Flatiron Building failed to complete the transaction, and the Manhattan skyscraper may go back on the block if a runner-up also forgoes purchasing rights, a broker said Thursday.. The second-highest bidder, Jeffrey Gural, one of the five current owners, offered $189.5 million at the auction but has yet to exercise a right to purchase, broker Mannion Auctions told AFP on Thursday, meaning a new public auction may be in the offing.
All eyes are on whether Elon Musk will go through with stripping blue checkmarks from celebrities and other high-profile Twitter users starting April 1 unless they pay for the privilege.. If a celebrity or brand does not pay for a blue Twitter checkmark, an imposter might buy the illusion of authenticity, the analyst said.
The White House said Thursday that Russia is seeking more arms from North Korea for the Ukraine war, revealing the identity of a Slovakian man allegedly brokering deals between Moscow and Pyongyang.. "We have new information that Russia is actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from North Korea," said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Research laboratory Midjourney has paused free trials of its image-generation software after users cranked out realistic deepfakes including of former US president Donald Trump getting arrested and Pope Francis in a puffer jacket.. On Thursday Midjourney denied a request by AFP to generate an image of the former president being arrested in front of Trump Tower in New York.
Ajay Banga, the American pick to lead the World Bank, was the only candidate nominated for the position, the bank confirmed Thursday, paving the way for his likely appointment in the coming months.. - Private financing for global problems - In a statement supporting his nomination, Biden said Banga's business career meant he was "uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank."
Britain's Marshall Amplification, legendary maker of guitar amps used by rock icons including Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, agreed Thursday to a takeover from Swedish speaker giant Zound Industries.. The price was "not disclosed" but the new group's headquarters "will be in Stockholm", a Zound spokesman told AFP. Stockholm-based Zound produces wireless speakers and headphones, including under the Marshall name.
