DAMASCUS, Syria — Samir al-Baghdad grabbed his pickax and walked up a wobbly set of stairs made of cinderblocks and rubble. He is rebuilding his destroyed family house in the Qaboun neighborhood near Damascus, Syria ‘s capital. The traditional building, which once housed his family, parents and some relatives, had a courtyard decorated with plants … Read more
TOKYO — The Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate to about 0.5% from 0.25% Friday, noting that inflation is holding at a desirable target level. The decision by the central bank came at the end of a two-day policy board meeting in Tokyo. BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda, set to speak to reporters later … Read more
The UK has left open the possibility of following EU rules for food and farm products in order to return to frictionless access to European markets, the trade secretary has said. Jonathan Reynolds told the BBC such an agreement – which lowers all trade barriers in return for mirroring EU rules and standards – would … Read more
Japan’s central bank has raised the cost of borrowing to its highest level in 17 years, as it tries to curb rising prices. The move by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) to raise its short-term policy rate to 0.5% comes just hours after the latest economic data showed prices rose last month at the fastest … Read more
Two years ago, OpenAI launched the chatbot craze with the release of ChatGPT. Now it hopes to spark interest in a new wave of A.I. technology. On Thursday, OpenAI unveiled a tool called Operator that can go out onto the internet and perform tasks autonomously, like shopping for groceries or booking a restaurant reservation. “It … Read more
Some policyholders who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires are not getting claims advances that are due to them, Insurance Commissioner Richard Lara alleged Thursday. In response, Lara issued a bulletin reminding all California insurers that the law requires victims who have suffered total losses to get advance payments for their living expenses … Read more
UnitedHealthcare has named a new boss almost two months after its then-chief executive Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York. Company veteran Tim Noel will take charge of the largest health insurer in the US, which has more than 50 million customers, at a critical moment. Mr Thompson’s killing on 4 December in … Read more
For about $1,000, you may leave an Apple store with a brand-new, hermetically sealed iPhone that’s been personalized for you by a verified Genius. Or, for hundreds or even thousands of dollars more, you can buy a used phone with cracked screens and dirt-filled speakers, from someone on the internet. It all just depends on … Read more
There’s been a record jump in the number of UK businesses in critical financial distress, according to insolvency specialists. This comes at the same time as a drop in consumer confidence as more people have concerns over the UK’s financial prospects as well as their own. In their latest report, insolvency experts at Begbies Traynor … Read more
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND — For the unacquainted, Davos is the home of the World Economic Forum, and hosts a yearly confab of the global elite. The stars are the chiefs of globalist institutions like the IMF; the UN; progressive prime ministers; and all the big banks. This year was different. The headliner was a real-estate developer … Read more