PARIS, Nov 29, 2023 (AFP) – The world economy is likely headed for a soft landing next year, the OECD said Wednesday as it pared back its growth forecast, but warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could throw a spanner in the works. In its latest economic outlook, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development trimmed its forecast for global growth this year to 2.9 percent, down from the 3.0 percent it forecast in September. The grouping […]
Business
Apple to end Goldman Sachs credit card partnership: report
WASHINGTON, Nov 29, 2023 (AFP) – Apple is set to end its credit card tie-up with Goldman Sachs, a US newspaper reported Tuesday, as the investment bank pulls back from consumer lending. Apple sent a proposal to Goldman Sachs to exit from their contract in 12 to 15 months, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report added that this break covers both parties’ whole consumer partnership, including a credit […]
TikTok owner ByteDance cuts hundreds of jobs in gaming division
BEIJING, Nov 27, 2023 (AFP) – Chinese tech giant and TikTok owner ByteDance is slashing hundreds of jobs in its gaming unit, a source familiar with the matter told AFP on Monday. The move marks a retreat from the competitive video gaming sector. Nuverse, a video game publisher that is a subsidiary of Beijing-based ByteDance, is currently conducting a round of layoffs that will affect “several hundred people”, said the source. “We regularly review our […]
OPEC+ meeting postponed to November 30, sending prices falling
VIENNA, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – The ministerial meeting of the OPEC+ alliance originally scheduled for Sunday in Vienna has been rescheduled to Thursday, the Vienna-based Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced in a statement on Wednesday. The 13 OPEC members led by Saudi Arabia and their ten partners led by Russia were due to decide on their output policy amid slumping crude prices. The OPEC+ announcement caused global crude prices to shed […]
Sam Altman to return as OpenAI CEO after shock ouster
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – ChatGPT creator OpenAI announced Tuesday that Sam Altman would return as its CEO, days after his shock dismissal plunged the pioneering artificial intelligence firm into crisis. Hundreds of OpenAI staff had threatened to quit following Altman’s sacking on Friday, demanding in a letter released to the media the resignation of the board, as speculation swirled about the future of the company. His dramatic exit also sparked intense lobbying […]
Toyota ad rapped as ‘irresponsible’ to the environment
LONDON, Nov 22, 2023 (AFP) – Britain’s advertising watchdog on Wednesday said it had banned an advert for a Toyota 4×4 vehicle because it promoted “irresponsible behaviour” towards the environment. The paid-for post on Facebook and poster ad for the Japanese firm’s Hilux sports utility vehicle showed a line of SUVs driving off road in a cloud of dust before joining a tarmacked road. A complaint was made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that […]
OpenAI staff threaten mass exodus to join ex-CEO Altman
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 21, 2023 (AFP) – Hundreds of staff at OpenAI threatened to quit the leading artificial intelligence company on Monday and join Microsoft, deepening a crisis triggered by the shock sacking of CEO Sam Altman. In a fast-moving sequence of events, Altman, who was ousted by the board on Friday, has now been hired by Microsoft where he will take the lead in developing a new advanced AI research team. There was talk […]
Microsoft to hire OpenAI’s Sam Altman after sacking
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 20, 2023 (AFP) – Microsoft announced Monday the hiring of OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman following his shock sacking from the company whose ChatGPT chatbot has led the rapid rise of artificial intelligence technology. OpenAI has appointed Emmett Shear, a former chief executive of Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch, as its new CEO despite reported pressure from Microsoft and other major investors to reinstate Altman. OpenAI’s board sacked Altman on Friday, with US media […]
OpenAI stands by decision to fire Sam Altman despite pressure: US media
The board of ChatGPT creator OpenAI on Sunday rejected pressure from Microsoft and other major investors to reverse its stunning decision to fire CEO Sam Altman, US media reported. OpenAI and Altman rocketed to fame with the launch of ChatGPT last year, showcasing advances in generative artificial intelligence that set off a gold rush in the sector. But the company’s board shocked the industry on Friday by removing co-founder Altman, prompting other high-profile departures as […]
Investors in OpenAI seek return of fired CEO, US media report
NEW YORK, Nov 19, 2023 (AFP) – Major investors in OpenAI, the company behind hugely popular ChatGPT, are working to orchestrate the return as CEO of Sam Altman, a leader in the AI revolution who was fired in a shock move Friday, US media reported Sunday. Investors as important as Microsoft and venture firm Thrive Capital “are making efforts to bring back Sam Altman,” the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. Microsoft and Thrive […]
“Red Cup Rebellion” erupts as Starbucks workers walk out over labor issues
NEW YORK, Nov 16, 2023 (AFP) – Worker activists at Starbucks called for a strike at unionized coffee shops in the United States on Thursday as the labor group seeks to pressure the coffee giant on stalled contract talks. The employee walkout, dubbed “Red Cup Rebellion,” was timed with a holiday-oriented company promotion that the labor group says is representative of company initiatives marred by understaffing and employee stress. About 360 Starbucks locations with more […]
Philippines embraces nuclear energy as US signs cooperation pact
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 17, 2023 (AFP) – The United States on Thursday signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with the Philippines, clearing a path for US investment to jumpstart atomic power in a country racing to expand its electricity supply. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has become a close US ally in his more-than one year in power, was on hand when his energy secretary signed the pact with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the […]





