CIA Director Bill Burns said in the US spy agency's first-ever podcast Thursday that his life is nothing like Jason Bourne and James Bond, ripping hot cars through crowded cities and deploying unimaginable lethal gadgets.. Burns' main point was to stress that while the CIA has many officers undercover in the field, they are not dramatic solo operators like Bond, Bourne or Jack Ryan of Hollywood fame.
US securities officials fined Boeing $200 million over the aviation giant's misleading assurances about the safety of the 737 MAX airplane following two deadly crashes, regulators announced Thursday.. They misled investors by providing assurances about the safety of the 737 MAX, despite knowing about serious safety concerns." jmb/hs
Canada on Thursday launched a long-awaited review of its cannabis regulations, four years after becoming the first major economy to legalize its recreational use.. At a news conference, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said preliminary data this year showed 69 percent of the cannabis market has moved from illicit sources to legal, regulated suppliers.
Whistleblower Frances Haugen -- a former Facebook engineer who leaked documents suggesting the firm put profits before safety -- on Thursday launched an organization devoted to fighting harm caused by social media.. Haugen contended the tech titan, which has since rebranded itself as Meta, put profits over safety.
Britain on Thursday lifted England's moratorium on controversial gas fracking to boost energy security, despite breaking the ruling Conservative party's manifesto pledge.. - Energy security - "In light of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority," business and energy secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said in a government statement.
Spain's top criminal court has opened a fraud investigation into a Netherlands-based medicinal cannabis investment platform which allegedly swindled people around the world of millions of dollars.. This is believed to be the first class-action lawsuit against JuicyFields, which according to media investigations scammed investors around the world.
Turkey's central bank on Thursday cut its policy rate for the second straight month despite an annual inflation rate that has reached 80 percent and is still moving higher.. "The Turkish central bank's policy rate really has little real meaning these days, given inflation at 80 percent plus," said BlueBay Asset Management analyst Timothy Ash.
The Bank of England hiked its interest rate again on Thursday to combat soaring inflation as it warned that the UK's economy had already slipped into recession.. Central banks have responded by increasing their rates, fanning recession fears because they push up loan repayments for consumers and companies alike, thereby exacerbating the UK's cost-of-living crisis.
The Swiss and Norwegian central banks announced hefty interest rate hikes on Thursday as global monetary policymakers ramp up the battle against runaway inflation.. The SNB, which in June hiked its interest rate for the first time in 15 years, has joined a global tightening of monetary policy to tame soaring prices.
Indonesia's central bank hiked its key interest rate for the second month in a row Thursday to combat rising inflation stoked by fuel prices and the war in Ukraine.. But a fuel price rise this month has put more pressure on the central bank to act.
