NewsAFP NewsAnti-graft chief insists Ukraine turning corner on graft
The head of Ukraine's anti-corruption agency insisted Friday that the Russian invasion had triggered a substantial and "irreversible" fall in graft in what has long been one of Europe's most corrupt countries.Nevertheless, he was adamant that the country was now making an "irreversible" move away from corrupt practices of the past.
NewsAFP NewsBird flu detected in mammals but risk to humans low: experts
Experts have warned that the recent detection of bird flu in mammals including foxes, otters, minks, seals and even grizzly bears is concerning but emphasised that the virus would have to significantly mutate to spread between humans.- However two recent larger scale infections have raised concerns that bird flu has the potential to spread between mammals.
NewsReutersExclusive-Indian ministry reviews Adani Group financial statements -government sources
India's ministry of corporate affairs has started a preliminary review of Adani Group's financial statements and other regulatory submissions made over the years, two senior government officials told Reuters on Friday. Adani Group has denied allegations by U.S.-based short-seller Hindenburg Research of improper use of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation, saying it has "no basis" and is due to an ignorance of Indian law. Adani Group is battling a stock market rout which was triggered by the Hindenburg report on Jan. 24 and this week scrapped a $2.5 billion share sale.
LifestyleHuffPostThe Funniest Tweets From Women This Week (Jan. 28-Feb. 3)
"every time I feel bad about how I look in an iPhone photo I remind myself what these cameras do to my girl the moon"
NewsHuffPost'A Really Close Call For Us': CNN Crew Nearly Hit By Russian Missile In Ukraine
Frederik Pleitgen, who was reporting in Kramatorsk during the attack, said Russia's war in Ukraine is one of "the most dangerous" he's ever covered.
BusinessAFP NewsUS jobs surge, tech concerns send stocks lower, dollar higher
A surge in hiring in the United States renewed worries about aggressive interest rate hikes, bolstering the dollar and sending stocks lower.Meanwhile, poorly-received earnings reports from Apple, Amazon, and Google owner Alphabet raised worries that high interest rates and sky-high inflation were weighing on consumer demand.
PoliticsHuffPost‘Shoot. It. Down’: GOP Goes Ballistic Over Reported Chinese Spy Balloon
"President Trump would have never tolerated this,” tweeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
HealthHuffPostI Tried At-Home Ketamine Therapy. Now I Wish I'd Never Done It.
"Though the company claimed to be sorry for my experience, it did not take any responsibility for what happened."
NewsAFP NewsNotre-Dame to regain spire this year and reopen end-2024
Notre-Dame Cathedral's spire will be back in place by the end of the year, but a full reopening following the devastating fire of 2019 will not happen before next year's Paris Olympic Games.But the sharp spire, added by architect Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc during the cathedral's redesign in the 19th century and replacing a previous wooden spire that had fallen into disrepair, will be back in place by the end of 2023, the ministry said.
NewsAFP NewsCash and fuel crisis cranks up Nigeria election tensions
With just three weeks to go before Nigeria's presidential election, major cash and fuel shortages are stirring up public anger and tensions during campaigning for the country's top post.But powerful APC governor for Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, stirred up tensions further this week with a claim "saboteurs" in the presidential villa were trying to undermine Tinubu.
NewsHuffPostDonald Trump 'Totally' Disagrees With Kevin McCarthy, Trashes Capitol Police
The former president maintains that Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt was "murdered" by police.
NewsAFP NewsKenyan police sentenced for murder of rights lawyer
Three Kenyan police officers were on Friday given sentences ranging from 24 years in jail to the death penalty for the brutal murder of a rights lawyer and two other people.Lessit on Friday sentenced former policeman Fredrick Leliman to death while his colleagues were sentenced to 24 and 30 years in prison.
PoliticsHuffPostMike Pompeo Says U.S. Had 'Peaceful' Transfer Of Power On Jan. 6 Despite The Violence
"Make no mistake about it, that night America also showed its strength," the former secretary of state told Sky News of the day of the Capitol riot.
NewsAFP NewsPakistan 'to agree' to tough IMF conditions as crisis worsens
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday the government would have to agree to IMF bailout conditions that are "beyond imagination", as it battles a spiralling economic crisis.The conditions we will have to agree to with the IMF are beyond imagination.
NewsAFP NewsChild abuser Gary Glitter freed from UK jail
Convicted paedophile and former rocker Gary Glitter was released from a jail in Britain on Friday after serving half of a 16-year sentence.He was freed from the low-security jail in Portland, southern England, automatically after serving half his sentence, the PA news agency reported.
BusinessReutersItaly bans U.S.-based AI chatbot Replika from using personal data
Italy's Data Protection Agency said on Friday it was prohibiting artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot company Replika from using the personal data of Italian users, citing risks to minors and emotionally fragile people. Replika, a San Francisco startup launched in 2017, offers customers bespoke avatars that talk and listen to them.
BusinessReutersSecurities fraud trial over Elon Musk's 2018 tweets draws to a close
A lawyer for Tesla Inc shareholders who claim Elon Musk deceived them when he tweeted that he had secured funding to take his electric car company private is expected to make closing arguments to a San Francisco jury on Friday. A jury of nine will decide whether the tweet artificially inflated Tesla's share price by playing up the status of funding for the deal, and if so, by how much. Investors are seeking billions in damages from Musk, Tesla, and several of the company's directors.
BusinessAFP NewsIndia's Adani denies rise due to Modi as shares fall again
Beleaguered Indian tycoon Gautam Adani denied Friday that his rise to become Asia's richest man -- a title he has lost in a phenomenal stock rout -- was due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as shares in his conglomerate fell again.His comments came as shares in his flagship firm Adani Enterprises went on a rollercoaster ride on the Bombay Stock Exchange, hitting multiple trading stops as they fell by 30 percent before recovering to close up 1.25 percent on the day.
NewsReutersIndia's customs duty change to dial up local phone production-tax official
India expects to manufacture more mobile phones this year after the government eliminated import tariffs on some components used to assemble high-end phones from global companies such as Apple Inc, a tax official told Reuters on Friday. Indian mobile phone exports nearly doubled year-on-year to $5 billion between April-October in 2022, primarily supported by the government's key scheme to offer incentives to local manufacturers. At the annual budget for 2023/24 on Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamam eliminated the 2.5% customs duty on select parts of mobile camera phones.
BusinessReutersIndia's IndiGo seeks partnerships to expand international network
BENGALURU (Reuters) -InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, the operator of India's leading airline IndiGo, is seeking partnerships that will allow it to expand its international network, its chief executive said on Friday, after the company returned to profit. The airline's international capacity is already at 105% of pre COVID levels and it plans to grow this further in 2023, Pieter Elbers told analysts in a results call. "We will continue to explore strategic partnerships in the future that will allow added connectivity for our customers and provide us with more global visibility," he said, adding that international destinations are opening at higher levels than before the pandemic.
NewsHuffPostMaryland's Democratic Lt. Governor Has Ties To A Dangerous Far-Right Movement
Activists and voters have sounded the alarm over Aruna Miller’s history of brushing shoulders with Hindu nationalist groups.
BusinessReutersIndia's Adani tries to allay concerns as lenders step up scrutiny - sources
MUMBAI (Reuters) -India's Adani Group has reached out to banks to try to allay their concerns as some consider tighter credit rules for the embattled conglomerate after a botched $2.5 billion share sale and a massive sell-off in its stocks, several bankers said. Shares of Adani Group companies have lost more than half their market value, or in excess of $100 billion combined, after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research raised questions last week about their debt levels and use of tax havens. The ports-to-energy conglomerate, led by Gautam Adani, one of the world's richest men, rejects the criticism and denies wrongdoing.
BusinessReutersMusk's Starlink internet service to be offered in the Philippines in Q1
Starlink, the satellite internet unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX, is on track to enter the Philippine market this year, with its broadband service to be introduced within the first quarter, its local partner said in a statement on Friday. "We are excited to finally introduce Starlink to the Philippine market by Q1 2023," said Anthony Almeda, Vice Chairman and CEO of Data Lake Inc, a Manila-based firm he co-owns with tycoon Henry Sy Jr.
NewsAFP NewsPentagon says tracking Chinese spy balloon over US
The Pentagon said Thursday it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying high over the United States, just days ahead of a rare visit to Beijing by the top US diplomat.Blinken's visit to Beijing, which follows a meeting last November between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit, will be the first trip to the Asian country by the United States' top diplomat since 2018.
NewsAFP NewsIndonesia tells outsiders not to use ASEAN as 'proxy'
Indonesia told major powers not to use Southeast Asia as a "proxy" for their rivalries Friday at the start of two-day talks between regional foreign ministers, while also calling for unity and progress on the Myanmar crisis.Indonesian President Joko Widodo told ASEAN ministers in talks before Friday's meeting that "ASEAN should not be a proxy for any party", repeating a call he made at an ASEAN leaders' summit in Cambodia last year, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said.
