Google fires software engineer who claimed its AI chatbot is sentient
ALPHABET, INC.’s Google said on Friday it has dismissed a senior software engineer who claimed the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot LaMDA was a self-aware person.
Australia gov’t to double foreign investment fees, penalties
SYDNEY — Australia will double the fees for foreign investors looking to buy assets in the country, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Friday, as...
Japan warns of rising security threats in annual defense report
TOKYO — Japan warned on Friday of escalating national security threats, including repercussions from Russia’s war with Ukraine, Chinese intimidation of Taiwan, and vulnerable...
Biden says he is ‘doing well,’ working after testing positive for COVID
WASHINGTON — Joseph R. Biden, Jr., the oldest person ever to serve as president of the United States, has tested positive for coronavirus disease...
US carriers’ cost struggle overshadows travel demand surge
CHICAGO — US carriers are struggling to offset higher costs even as booming travel demand has given them strong pricing power, raising questions about...
ECB hikes rates, throws lifeline to indebted countries
FRANKFURT — The European Central Bank (ECB) raised interest rates by more than expected on Thursday as concerns about runaway inflation trumped worries about...
Heatwave fee for Asia’s gig workers does little to cool climate stress
HO CHI MINH CITY/BANGKOK — As a heatwave engulfed northern and central Vietnam earlier this month, customers reaching for their phones to order food or a ride on the Grab app learned they would have to pay a surcharge.
Sri Lanka swears in new president amid worst economic crisis in decades
COLOMBO — Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president on Thursday, a day after winning a vote in parliament and urging the island nation to come together to find a way out of its worst economic crisis in decades.
Thailand admits to using phone spyware, cites national security
BANGKOK — A Thai minister has admitted the country uses surveillance software to track individuals in cases involving national security or drugs, amid revelations that government critics’ phones had been hacked using the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware.
Nigerian bakers suspend production over high costs
ABUJA -— Nigerian bread makers suspended production from Wednesday to protest against soaring prices of ingredients such as flour and sugar, bakers associations said.
Protests and street blockades against soaring prices persist in Panama
PANAMA CITY — Hundreds of people took to the streets of Panama on Wednesday to protest the government’s failed efforts to stem the rising...
Biden stops short of declaring climate emergency, takes steps on wind power
SOMERSET, Mass./WASHINGTON — US President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., said on Wednesday that climate change is an emergency but stopped short of a formal...