BUSINESS

Alice Weidel, Unlikely Queen Of German Far-right AfD

Germany: AfD's national election results
As an openly gay politician who lives with her Sri Lanka-born partner in Switzerland, Alice Weidel was an unusual choice to many to lead Germany's far-right and anti-immigration AfD into Sunday's elections.
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A Ukrainian-European text proposed at the United Nations stresses the need to redouble diplomatic efforts to end the war in 2025

US Proposes Ukraine UN Text Omitting Mention Of Occupied Territory: Diplomats

The United States proposed Friday a United Nations resolution on the Ukraine conflict that omitted any mention of Kyiv's territory occupied by Russia, diplomatic sources told AFP. Washington's proposal comes amid an intensifying feud between US President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky which has seen Trump claim it was "not important" for his Ukrainian counterpart to be involved in peace talks.
Participants in the talks are trying to improve their response to the next pandemic

'History Will Not Forgive' Failure To Seal Pandemic Deal: WHO Chief

The head of the UN's health agency warned Friday that history would not forgive countries if they failed to strike a pandemic treaty at the last hurdle World Health Organization leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the comments with progress slow and time running out for the talks.
A person looks at AI artwork created by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst called‘Embedding Study 1 & 2 (from the xhairymutantx series)’

Christie's First-ever AI Sale Angers Some Artists

Christie's has launched its first-ever sale dedicated to artworks created with artificial intelligence, riding the AI revolution wave -- a move by the famed auction house that has sparked anger among some artists.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng held an introductory call raising serious concerns with each other

US, China Economic Leaders Raise 'Serious Concerns' In First Call

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng raised mutual concerns on trade and economic issues in their introductory call Friday, as tensions between the world's two biggest economies simmer under President Donald Trump's second term.
A string of incidents involving damage to cables and other Baltic Sea infrastructure have occurred recently amid soaring tensions between the West and Russia

Sweden Investigating New Baltic Sea Cable Damage

Swedish authorities said Friday they were investigating suspected damage to an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea, following a string of incidents experts believe are acts of sabotage orchestrated by Russia.
Digital giants like Meta have recently muscled in to the world of subsea cables

Trump Admin To Press Ahead With Amazon, Meta Antitrust Cases

In an interview with FOX Business, newly appointed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson confirmed that ongoing cases against Amazon and Meta would proceed, emphasizing his commitment to "holding Big Tech's feet to the fire."
More than 170 migrants were returned to Venezuela from the US military base in Guantanamo, Cuba via Honduras

US Sends Migrants From Guantanamo To Venezuela

The United States deported 177 migrants from its military base in Guantanamo, Cuba to their homeland in Venezuela Thursday, the latest sign of cooperation between the long-feuding governments.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is leading his country as it fights off a Russian invasion

Musk Vows To 'Fix' X Feature Over Ukraine And Zelensky

Elon Musk said Thursday that a feature on his social media platform X which allows users to fact-check potentially misleading posts was being "gamed" over Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky and vowed to "fix" it.
Amazon's gaining of control over the James Bond franchise is sure to leave the film industry shaken and stirred

Bond Franchise Shake-up Moves Spy Into Amazon Stable

In a move that looks set to shake -- and maybe even stir -- one of Hollywood's most bankable franchises, Amazon MGM Studio is to take creative control of James Bond, as the fictional British spy's long-time producers step back.
Spotify says opening its platform to audiobooks narrated by digital voices instead of humans makes it more affordable for authors to sell such versions of their works

Spotify Adds More AI-Generated Audiobooks

Spotify on Thursday began accepting audiobooks narrated by digital voices created by artificial intelligence software firm ElevenLabs, pitching it as a cost-effective option for authors.

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