Business

Toyota apologises for scandals as vehicle sales set new record

TOKYO, Jan 30, 2024 (AFP) – Toyota’s chairman said Tuesday he was “ashamed” of recent scandals involving subsidiaries of the Japanese auto giant, as the firm announced record vehicle sales of 11.2 million across its brands last year. The bumper figure — an industry record — sees Toyota retain its position as the world’s top-selling automaker for the fourth successive year, thanks to a recovery in demand and easing chip shortages. Taking only the Toyota […]

Yemen’s Huthis fire missiles at ships in Red Sea

By Jamal al-Jabiri SANAA, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – Yemen’s Huthis fired three missiles at two merchant ships in the Red Sea on Wednesday in their latest attack in the commercially vital waterway, the White House and the Iran-backed rebels said. It came after the Huthis vowed to keep up their attacks despite repeated US and British strikes against them. One missile missed its target and a US Navy destroyer shot down the other two, […]

US approves inspection program to return Boeing 737 MAX to service

By John BIERS NEW YORK, Jan 25, 2024 (AFP) – US regulators approved a detailed inspection framework that would allow the return to service of Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded after an emergency landing earlier this month, officials said Wednesday. Shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration announced inspection protocols on the Boeing 737 MAX 9, United Airlines said it expects grounded aircraft to return to service starting Sunday. “We will only return each MAX 9 […]

Microsoft joins Apple in $3 trillion club

Microsoft joined Apple on Wednesday as a three trillion dollar company, as its big bet on artificial intelligence continued to impress Wall Street. Now second to Apple as the world’s biggest company by market capitalization, Microsoft’s shares were up 1.31 percent at $404. Apple remains narrowly in first place at $3.02 trillion after reaching the $3 trillion market capitalization mark for the first time in January 2022. But it has fallen below the milestone, even […]

Mali gold mine collapse kills more than 70

BAMAKO, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – More than 70 people have been killed after a tunnel collapsed at a Malian gold mining site last week, local sources told AFP Wednesday, the latest disaster in a region prone to mining accidents. Mali, which is among the world’s poorest countries, is one of Africa’s leading gold producers. Gold mining sites are regularly the scene of deadly landslides and authorities struggle to control artisanal mining of the precious […]

QatarEnergy says Red Sea attacks ‘may impact’ gas shipments

DOHA, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries may be delayed by attacks in the Red Sea, QatarEnergy warned on Wednesday, stressing that production had not been impacted. The state-owned giant confirmed in a statement that “Qatar’s LNG production continues uninterrupted, and our commitment to ensuring the reliable supply of LNG to our customers remains unwavering”. “While the ongoing developments in the Red Sea area may impact the scheduling of some […]

Vietnam internet firm VNG withdraws US IPO

HANOI, Jan 23, 2024 (AFP) – Vietnamese internet firm VNG has withdrawn its registration for an initial public offering in the United States, according to a company statement. Last year, the Ho Chi Minh City-based company said it aimed to sell nearly 22 million shares in the IPO and had plans to expand into Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. “The Company has determined not to conduct a registered offering at this time […]

Conde Nast staff stage walkout against layoffs

NEW YORK, Jan 23, 2024 (AFP) – Hundreds of unionized staffers at Conde Nast, the parent company behind legacy publications including Vogue and Vanity Fair, walked out Tuesday in protest of looming layoffs. As part of the NewsGuild action, 400 employees walked off the job on the news-heavy day, which saw the announcement of Academy Award nominations and voting in a presidential primary. The union urged people not to cross the digital picket line by […]

League of Legends maker Riot Games to slash 530 jobs

LOS ANGELES, Jan 23, 2024 (AFP) – League of Legends maker Riot Games said Monday it will cut around 530 jobs worldwide, describing the layoffs as “a necessity.” The layoffs at Riot — owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent — follow a turbulent year for the gaming industry, with job cuts at major firms including Electronic Arts and Ubisoft. Riot has developed global hits including League of Legends and Valorant, but said it had launched […]

LA Times slashes a fifth of its newsroom jobs

By Huw GRIFFITH LOS ANGELES, Jan 23, 2024 (AFP) – The Los Angeles Times said Tuesday it laying off more than a fifth of its journalists, in another example of how news media in the United States and around the world are struggling to cope with the disruptions of the internet age. The announcement came as staff at the Conde Nast group, which publishes Vanity Fair and Vogue, took strike action over looming job cuts, […]

Sony ‘terminates’ Indian merger with Zee

By Simon Sturdee with Anuj Srivas in Mumbai TOKYO, Jan 22, 2024 (AFP) – Sony “terminated” on Monday the $10-billion merger of its Indian operations with local rival Zee Entertainment that would have created a new streaming giant in the world’s most populous nation. The joint entity with mooted annual revenue of $2 billion would have helped both firms better compete with Disney, Amazon and Netflix in the entertainment market of 1.4 billion people. But […]

Wanted crypto boss Do Kwon’s Terraform files for US bankruptcy

SINGAPORE, Jan 22, 2024 (AFP) – South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon’s Terraform Labs, whose cryptocurrencies crashed dramatically in 2022, is seeking bankruptcy protection in the United States, according to court documents filed Sunday. The collapse of the Singapore-based firm’s TerraUSD and Luna wiped out around $40 billion in investments and caused wider losses in the global crypto market estimated at more than $400 billion. Kwon, who co-founded Terraform in 2018, was arrested last year in […]