NewsReutersU.S. pick for World Bank, Ajay Banga, to meet with Modi in native India
The U.S. nominee to lead the World Bank, former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga, returns to his native India on Thursday, capping a three-week global tour to drum up support and discuss development and climate needs with donor and borrowing countries. The Treasury said Banga will visit New Delhi on March 23 and 24, where his likeness has already been posted on billboards. "These discussions will focus on India’s development priorities, the World Bank, and global economic development challenges," the Treasury said in a statement.
NewsHuffPostOn The First Day Of Ramadan, Ilhan Omar Introduces Bill To Condemn Anti-Muslim Hate
The bill, first seen by HuffPost, honored the victims of the terrorist attack that killed 51 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand.
BusinessReutersChinese firm invents lockdown-inspired kissing machine for remote lovers
A Chinese start-up inspired by lockdown isolation has invented a long-distance kissing machine that transmits users' kiss data collected through motion sensors hidden in silicon lips, which simultaneously move when replaying kisses received. The MUA - named after the sound people commonly make when blowing a kiss - also captures and replays sound and warms up slightly during kissing, making the experience more authentic, said Beijing-based Siweifushe. "I was in a relationship back then, but I couldn't meet my girlfriend due to lockdowns," said inventor Zhao Jianbo.
BusinessReutersBHP, engineering firm Hatch to design electric smelting plant in Australia
The plant will be able to produce steel from iron ore using renewable electricity and hydrogen replacing coking coal. "The steel industry has identified ESF as a viable option to use a wider range of raw materials, and steel companies globally are looking to build commercial-scale ESF plants as part of their CO2 emission-reduction roadmaps," said Vandita Pant, chief commercial officer, BHP. Last October, the mining giant teamed up with steelmaker ArcelorMittal and two others to test a new technology to reduce carbon emissions in steelmaking at two plants in Belgium and North America.
NewsHuffPostFox News Reporter Hugs Son Live On Air While Reporting On Shooting At His School
Alicia Acuna was reporting when she saw her son outside East High School in Denver for the first time since the shooting.
PoliticsHuffPostDemocratic Senators Urge The Biden Administration To Go After Ultrawealthy Tax Dodgers
The lawmakers argue that the Treasury Department could take immediate action against blatant tax avoidance schemes without waiting for Congress.
NewsAFP NewsInter-American court hears first abortion rights case
Women called for "justice" outside the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in Costa Rica Wednesday as lawyers presented the tribunal's first-ever abortion rights case.The court's decision to hear the case "strongly indicates... that the denial of any health service, including those that are controversial such as abortion, is a human rights violation," said Maria Antonieta Alcalde of the Ipas reproductive rights NGO, which is among the plaintiffs.
NewsHuffPostElon Musk's Company Plans To Dump Wastewater In The Colorado — And Locals Have Concerns
Residents of a small Texas town view the controversial billionaire's Boring Company with suspicion.
BusinessReutersFTX reaches deal to recover over $400 million from hedge fund Modulo
Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has reached a deal to recover more than $400 million in cash from hedge fund Modulo Capital, pulling back 97% of the money that FTX companies sent to the hedge fund in 2022, according to court documents filed on Wednesday. Bahamas-based Modulo agreed to pay $404 million in cash and give up its claim to $56 million in assets held on FTX's crypto exchange, according to a filing in U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in November, saying it was unable to completely repay customers who had deposited funds on its exchange.
BusinessReutersSaudi, UAE investors plan to invest in SpaceX - The Information
The funding round is expected to value the rocket maker at about $140 billion, the report added. SpaceX raised $2 billion in 2022 and $2.6 billion in 2020, according to venture capital firm Space Capital. The company and Morgan Stanley's representatives have told investors that Saudi Arabia's Water and Electricity Holding Company, part of the country's sovereign wealth fund, and United Arab Emirates' Alpha Dhabi are part of the funding round, according to the report.
NewsAFP NewsBlinken dismisses China's 'marriage of convenience' with Russia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday brushed off China's diplomacy with Russia as a "marriage of convenience," and said Beijing had not yet provided military aid to "junior partner" Moscow to fight in Ukraine."Russia is very much the junior partner in this relationship," he said.
PoliticsHuffPostRepublicans Won’t Take Sides In The Growing Trump vs. DeSantis Feud
They love his policies, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 contender, is finding little backup among Senate Republicans.
BusinessAFP NewsUS stocks tumble after Fed rate hike, concerns on economy
Wall Street stocks slumped Wednesday as the US Federal Reserve continued hiking interest rates to fight inflation, while noting that banking sector turmoil could weigh on the economy.European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde on Wednesday said recent financial turbulence could add to "downside risks" in the eurozone, but did not commit to further interest rate hikes there.
BusinessReutersU.S. SEC threatens to sue Coinbase over some crypto products
Shares of Coinbase dropped nearly 13% to $67.33 in extended trading after the company said on Wednesday that the regulator had issued it a Wells notice - a formal declaration that SEC staff intend to recommend an enforcement action. The potential enforcement actions would be tied to aspects of Coinbase's spot market as well as its Earn, Prime and Wallet products, the company said.
PoliticsHuffPostExtreme Florida Anti-Transgender Health Care Bill Clears Legislative Hurdle
The measure would forcibly detransition minors currently receiving gender-affirming care and bar insurance coverage of that care for adults.
PoliticsAFP NewsBlinken seeks US funds for UN culture agency to counter China
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Congress to agree to $150 million to rejoin the UN culture agency UNESCO, saying the US absence was letting China write rules on artificial intelligence."They are working on rules, norms and standards for artificial intelligence.
NewsAFP News'Noose around your neck': Colombia's biggest drug cartel rules with fear
In the cities and towns of northwest Colombia, the ubiquitous graffiti "AGC" signals the ominous presence of the powerful Gulf Clan drug cartel.Also known as the Autodefensas Gaitanistas of Colombia or AGC, the Gulf Clan is the biggest drug cartel in the world's largest cocaine producer.
NewsAFP NewsCanada sees record population growth as immigration leaps
Canada saw record-high population growth last year due to a surge in immigrants and temporary residents, the government statistical agency said Wednesday, adding that if the trend continues the nation will double its population in 26 years.With an increase of 2.7 percent, Canada last year by far led other Group of Seven industrialized nations and ranked among the top 20 in the world for population growth, the agency said.
NewsAFP NewsReagan's 'Star Wars' at 40: Battle of the satellites
Forty years after US president Ronald Reagan stunned the nation and world with his "Star Wars" plan to take nuclear competition into outer space, a new battle of the satellites has emerged in the stratosphere.Nevertheless space ultimately has become a major theater of strategic competition -- just not the way Reagan envisioned.
BusinessHuffPostStarbucks Workers Strike Ahead Of Shareholder Meeting
Baristas represented by Workers United walked out for the day at more than 100 locations to protest alleged union busting.
BusinessReutersIndia's February crude oil imports jump to meet growing demand
Rising crude demand and a strong Indian economy bodes well for higher refinery runs and imports, in addition to cheaper Russian crude, said Refinitiv analyst Ehsan Ul Haq, adding he expects refiners to boost runs and imports as temperatures rise and people travel more. Fuel demand in February hit its highest level in at least 24 years, data from the website of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) showed this month. On a monthly basis, imports were down 6% to 22.57 million tonnes, PPAC data showed.
ScienceAFP NewsRelativity Space to make third bid to launch 3D-printed rocket
The world's first 3D printed rocket is scheduled to make its third attempt to lift off on Wednesday for the maiden flight of an innovative spacecraft billed as being less costly to produce and fly.- Built in 60 days - Relativity's goal is to produce a rocket that is 95 percent 3D printed.
PoliticsAFP NewsTrump indictment decision pushed back as jury fails to meet
The drama surrounding Donald Trump's possible indictment over hush money paid to a porn star took a new twist Wednesday, after a New York grand jury failed to convene as expected -- pushing back a decision, potentially into next week.The jury panel usually meets on Thursdays too but Insider, which broke the news of the canceled meeting, quoted one source as saying it may not gather again this week, meaning the earliest a decision might come is Monday.
NewsAFP NewsIsrael missiles hit arms depot in Syria's Aleppo airport: monitor
An Israeli missile strike destroyed a suspected arms depot used by Iran-backed militias at Syria's Aleppo airport Wednesday, a war monitor said, with authorities saying the raid put the airport out of service.A strike on Aleppo airport in September put it out of service for several days.
BusinessReutersU.S. Treasury to release EV battery sourcing rules next week
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday said it will release guidance next week on sourcing requirements for electric vehicle battery tax subsidies under President Joe Biden's climate change law, the first in a string of highly anticipated rules to determine how broadly the credits can be used. The auto, battery and clean energy industries have been awaiting guidance on complex questions governing eligibility for hundreds of billions of dollars of incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law last year. After outlining battery sourcing rules, officials said, Treasury will follow in the next couple of months with guidance around bonus tax credits for clean energy projects sited in fossil fuel-dependent communities, those built with domestically produced equipment, and those paying workers prevailing wages and employing apprentices.
