Tech News

IMF and Pakistan reach $3 billion stand-by deal

Pakistan could get temporary relief for its ballooning foreign debt with a new stand-by arrangement worth $3 billion announced by the IMF in Washington on Thursday.. "I am pleased to announce that the IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement with the Pakistani authorities on a nine-month standby arrangement in the amount of SDR2,250 million (about $3 billion)," said IMF official Nathan Porter in a statement.

Cambodian PM threatens to block Facebook access

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Friday he could block access to Facebook in Cambodia, after the company said it would remove a video in which he threatened to beat up political opponents.. Speaking to garment workers in Pursat province on Friday, Hun Sen warned that he could block Facebook "for a short period or forever" in Cambodia at any time to prevent exiled opposition politicians from communicating with people in the country. 

Markets swing as US data is tempered by rate hike worries

Asian markets fluctuated Friday as more forecast-beating data reinforced the US economy's resilience despite surging interest rates but piled further pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep hiking to tame inflation.. "Rate hiking works on a lagging basis.

As prices soar, Japan returns to human waste fertiliser

It's cheap, recycled, and has centuries of tradition: "shimogoe" or "fertiliser from a person's bottom" is finding new favour in Japan as Ukraine's war hikes the price of chemical alternatives.. He started using shimogoe last year, "because I wanted to cut costs, and for the social good" of recycling waste.

As prices soar, Japan returns to human waste fertiliser

It's cheap, recycled, and has centuries of tradition: "shimogoe" or "fertiliser from a person's bottom" is finding new favour in Japan as Ukraine's war hikes the price of chemical alternatives.. He started using shimogoe last year, "because I wanted to cut costs, and for the social good" of recycling waste.

Workers approve latest contract at Boeing supplier Spirit

Striking workers at Spirit Aerosystems, a key Boeing supplier, will return to the factory after approving an enhanced four-year labor contract, the union said Thursday.. Striking workers will return to their jobsites on July 5. jmb/tjj

July 4th weekend celebration to test US travel system

Travel forecasters are predicting record travel for the July 4th weekend, but this year's celebration may also be something of a battle with the elements.. A record 50.7 million Americans are expected to venture at least 50 miles from home in the period heading into July 4th, eclipsing the prior peak of 49 million in 2019, according to the American Automobile Association.

Higher costs dent Nike profits

Nike reported a drop in quarterly profits Thursday despite higher sales due to the drag from increased costs and the liquidation of unwanted merchandise.. Nike notched lower profit margins in the period, citing factors that included "higher product input costs and elevated freight and logistics costs" and "higher markdowns."

Google to block local news in Canada in response to media law

Google on Thursday became the latest Silicon Valley giant to block Canadian users from seeing local news on its platform after Ottawa passed a bill requiring tech companies to pay for such content. . Tech giant Meta announced last Thursday that it too would block Canadian news on Facebook and Instagram.

US high court sets new rule for firms requiring work on religious holidays

The US Supreme Court set a tougher standard Thursday for companies to be able to claim "undue hardship" when requiring employees to work on religious holidays.. Instead, the issue was how "undue hardship" was defined -- how much difficulty a business would have to incur to justify forcing a worker to work on a religious holiday.