China’s Baidu posts 25% rise quarterly revenue on ad, cloud boost

China’s Baidu Inc reported a 25% rise in quarterly revenue on Tuesday, powered by advertising on its core search and video-streaming platforms. The Beijing-based company’s aggressive push into cloud services, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving and smart transport technology has helped grow its non-advertising revenue and offset competition to its core search platform from Alibaba and […]
‘Flattered’ Russian spy chief denies SolarWinds attack – BBC

Russia’s spy chief on Tuesday denied responsibility for the SolarWinds (SWI.N) cyber attack but said he was “flattered” by the accusations from the United States and Britain that Russian foreign intelligence was behind such a sophisticated hack. The United States and Britain have blamed Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), successor to the foreign spying operations of the […]
Australia sticks by plan to re-open border in mid-2022

Australia is sticking to plans to start re-opening to the rest of the world only from the middle of next year, officials said on Sunday, resisting mounting pressure to end the closure of international borders. In March 2020, Australia closed its borders to non-nationals and non-residents and has since been allowing only limited international arrivals, […]
Italy fines Google $123 mln for abuse of dominant position

Italy’s competition watchdog said on Thursday it had fined Google (GOOGL.O) 102 million euros ($123 million) for abuse of its dominant position due to its Android mobile operating system and app store Google Play.
Low carbon world needs $1.7 trillion in mining investment

Mining companies need to invest nearly $1.7 trillion in the next 15 years to help supply enough copper, cobalt, nickel and other metals needed for the shift to a low carbon world, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. The United States, Britain, Japan, Canada and others raised their targets on cutting carbon emissions to halt global […]
U.S. expresses ‘serious concerns’ about violent clashes in Jerusalem

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday expressed “serious concerns” to his Israeli counterpart about violent clashes in Jerusalem sparked by planned evictions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, the White House said in a statement. Sullivan in a phone call with Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat “encouraged the Israeli government to pursue appropriate […]
Gandhi warns ‘explosive’ COVID wave threatens India and the world

India’s main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi warned on Friday that unless the deadly second COVID-19 wave sweeping the country was brought under control it would decimate India as well as threaten the rest of the world. In a letter, Gandhi implored Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prepare for another national lockdown, accelerate a country-wide vaccination […]
G7 mulls a message to China: the West ain’t over just yet

The Group of Seven rich democracies will on Tuesday discuss ways of countering challenges from China and Russia without trying to contain Beijing or escalate tension with the Kremlin, two of its top diplomats said. Founded in 1975 as a forum for the West’s richest nations to discuss crises such as the OPEC oil embargo, […]
Warren Buffett touts U.S. economy’s unexpected strength as Berkshire rebounds

Warren Buffett said on Saturday that Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) is being lifted by a U.S. economy faring far better than he predicted early in the coronavirus pandemic, though investor euphoria is making it hard to deploy cash. Speaking at Berkshire’s annual meeting, Buffett said the economy has been “resurrected in an extraordinarily effective way” by monetary […]
Germany to start returning Benin Bronzes from 2022

Germany aims to start returning Benin Bronzes to Nigeria next year, its foreign and culture ministries said, part of a growing trend to return cultural artefacts seized during the colonial era to their places of origin. Britain’s soldiers seized thousands of metal castings and sculptures in 1897 during a raid on the Kingdom of Benin, […]