World Court dismisses much of Ukraine’s case against Russia

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Judges at the top U.N. court on Wednesday found that Russia violated elements of a U.N. anti-terrorism treaty, but declined to rule on allegations brought by Kyiv that Moscow was responsible for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. In the same ruling, judges at the...

Dutch watchdog fines Uber 10 million euros over privacy regulations infringement

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch data protection authority (DPA) on Wednesday fined Uber 10 million euros ($11 million) for infringement of privacy regulations regarding its drivers' personal data. The DPA found that Uber had not specified in its terms and conditions for how long it retained its drivers' personal data, or how it secured the data when...

No deportation for Bangladeshi opposition leader with pending court case

PUTRAJAYA: Bangladeshi opposition leader MA Quayum will not be deported yet as he has a pending court case, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic). The Home Minister said the ministry is giving full cooperation to all parties in relation to the case. "We are aware that Quanyum was detained early this month by the police and...

Ripple’s XRP falls amid reports it was likely hacked – CoinDesk

(Reuters) - Cryptocurrency company Ripple's XRP token was down more than 5% on Wednesday amid speculation the network was likely hacked and drained of tokens worth $112.5 million, according to a CoinDesk report. Blockchain analyst ZachXBT claimed on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that 213 million XRP tokens were stolen from one wallet, and laundered...

FTX abandons efforts to re-start its crypto exchange

NEW YORK (Reuters) - FTX has abandoned efforts to re-start its crypto exchange, instead opting to liquidate all assets and return funds to customers, a company attorney said on Wednesday. FTX has been negotiating for months with potential bidders and investors, but none were willing to put in enough money to rebuild the FTX exchange, FTX...

Chief metaverse officers are out. AI is in

Advertising giant Publicis Groupe SA made an unusual executive hire in mid-2022 – a lion-headed digital avatar named Leon who would serve as “chief metaverse officer”, guiding clients through the virtual realm that had seized real-world attention. His moment in the spotlight didn’t last long. Five months later, ChatGPT debuted, and the buzz that had surrounded the...

Analysis-US bitcoin ETFs raise questions over broader financial system risks

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The launch of U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking bitcoin deepens ties between the volatile world of cryptocurrencies and the traditional financial system, potentially creating unforeseen new risks, some experts say. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this month approved 11 spot bitcoin ETFs from issuers including BlackRock and Invesco/Galaxy Digital, in a watershed...

Top Thai officials pile pressure on central bank to ease rates, citing bank profits

BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s key aides renewed calls for an early rate cut to rein in commercial banks from making excessive profits, arguing the highest borrowing costs in a decade will further aggravate an economic crisis. The Bank of Thailand should set rules to lower the net interest margin earned by commercial banks...

Emerging Markets – Indonesian rupiah hit by political woes as Asian currencies mostly subdued

JAKARTA (Reuters): Asian currencies were subdued on Monday, with the Indonesian rupiah extending losses on concerns the country's finance minister may resign, while Singapore's dollar was largely flat after monetary policy was left unchanged, as expected. The Indonesian rupiah, among one of the worst performing currencies so far in 2024 after falling nearly 3%, slipped 0.2%...

Three weeks’ jail for man in Singapore who assaulted his nine-year-old son with two umbrellas and a cane

SINGAPORE: A man who disciplined his nine-year-old son by hitting him several times with two umbrellas and a cane was sentenced to three weeks’ jail on Jan 29. The 45-year-old man committed the offence after his wife suspected the boy had stolen $50 during a birthday party. He also used the cane to hit her when she...