KABUL: Afghanistan’s acting prime minister, Mullah Hasan Akhund, today called for international governments to officially recognise the country’s Taliban administration, saying at a news conference in Kabul that all conditions had been met. “I ask all governments, especially Islamic countries, that they should start recognition,” Akhund said, in his first […]
Business
LONDON: Britain’s government will cut the BBC’s funding by ordering a two-year freeze on the fee that people pay to watch the broadcaster, the Mail on Sunday reported. The future of the licence-payer funded British Broadcasting Corporation is a perpetual topic of political debate, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government […]
Tesla, the electric carmaker headed by billionaire Elon Musk, has started to allow people to buy brand merchandise using Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency initially started as a joke. Mr Musk announced the development on Twitter on Friday, a month after hinting of the plans. The news sent the value of Dogecoin […]
A single page of artwork from a 1984 Spider-Man comic book has sold at a US auction for a record 3.36 million dollars (£2.44 million). Mike Zeck’s artwork for page 25 of Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars No 8 brings the first appearance of Spidey’s black suit. The symbiote suit would […]
A US voting company has filed a $1.6bn (£1.1bn) defamation lawsuit against Fox News over a claim that the firm had rigged the 2020 presidential election. Dominion Voting Systems has argued that in an effort to boost its ratings, Fox News falsely claimed that the company had rigged last year’s […]
Shares in blockchain technology-focused firm BTCS Inc rocketed on Thursday, set to extend a four-day rally, as more retail investors scooped them up after the company last week offered to pay dividends in bitcoin. The Silver Spring, Maryland-based company has seen its stock value more than double since Jan. 5, […]
China Cinda Asset Management said on Thursday it plans to scrap an agreement to buy a 20per cent stake in the consumer finance arm of Ant Group, worth 6 billion yuan (US$943.83 million). The investment would have increased Cinda’s interest in Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance Co Ltd to 24per cent, […]
PARIS: France will on Friday (Jan 14) ease coronavirus travel restrictions for travellers from Britain, enabling vaccinated tourists to visit if they have a negative test, the government announced. A blanket ban on non-essential travel announced on Dec 16 caused major disruptions over the Christmas and New Year holidays, but […]
Twitter Inc has picked up a minority stake in Aleph Group Inc, the digital advertising firm said on Tuesday as it seeks to go public in the United States. Aleph did not reveal any financial terms of the investment but said Twitter’s stake buy would help the company expand its […]
TOKYO: Japanese supermarket chain Ito-Yokado will undertake a government-backed trial to offer variable discounts on more than a dozen products including bread and desserts as their expiry dates approach in an effort to cut waste. Some analysts warn that such a dynamic pricing approach in which the same goods are […]