Author: Reuters

Ukrainian prosecutors said on Friday they had launched an investigation into North Korea’s support for Russia in the war as a possible crime of aggression. By arming and supplying ground forces engaged in fighting against Ukraine, North Korean officials could face charges, the Prosecutor General’s Office told Reuters. “We are documenting and collecting evidence of all possible aspects of such involvement as part of the core proceeding on the crime of aggression,” the office said in a statement. Aspects of the alleged crime include supplying arms to the Russian Federation, organising training for Russian military personnel and direct participation by…

Nvidia dethroned Apple as the world’s most valuable company on Friday following a record-setting rally in the stock, powered by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence chips. Nvidia’s stock market value briefly touched $3.53 trillion, slightly above Apple’s $3.52 trillion, LSEG data showed. Nvidia was last up 2.2%, with a market value of $3.52 trillion, while Apple’s shares rose 0.9%, valuing the iPhone maker at $3.54 trillion. In June, Nvidia briefly became the world’s most valuable company before it was overtaken by Microsoft and Apple. The tech trio’s market capitalizations have been neck-and-neck for several months. Microsoft’s market value…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s nationalist ally said on Tuesday the PKK terror group’s jailed ringleader could be allowed to speak in the Turkish parliament, if he announces an end to the group’s insurgency, in exchange for the possibility of being released. Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), made the surprise suggestion to MHP lawmakers in a parliamentary speech following media speculation in recent weeks about fresh efforts to end a conflict that began 40 years ago. He made the offer to Abdullah Ocalan, founder of the bloody-minded PKK terror group, who has been serving an aggravated life…

Russia and China energy partnership is comprehensive and has acquired a strategic character, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Wednesday at a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Islamabad. “The partnership in the energy sector has acquired a comprehensive, strategic nature – it covers oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries,” Russian RIA state news agency cited Mishustin as saying. The heads of governments were meeting in Islamabad ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering this week.

Euro zone government bond yields fell on Monday as investors braced for a week packed with economic data and a meeting of central bankers at Jackson Hole. Investors await business activity figures and negotiated wage growth data, which the European Central Bank will consider before its September rate decision. Bund yields, the benchmark for the euro zone bloc, was down 2.5 basis points (bps) to 2.23%. Euro area borrowing costs have tracked perceptions of risks in the U.S. economy, with U.S. Treasury yields easing on Friday, partly reversing the previous day’s big gains as investors digested data showing a resilient…

The U.S. Justice Department is considering allowing planemaker Boeing to escape criminal prosecution for violating the terms of a 2021 settlement related to two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, the New York Times reported on Friday. The department has not made final decisions or ruled out bringing charges, or some other solution, the New York Times said, citing people familiar with the situation. The DOJ is considering offering Boeing a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), which might require the company to install a federal monitor to oversee safety improvements. Boeing was not immediately available for comment, and a…

Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company on Tuesday, dethroning tech heavyweight Microsoft as its high-end processors play a central role in a race to dominate a surge in artificial intelligence technology. Shares of the chipmaker climbed 3.5% to $135.60, lifting its market capitalization to $3.336 trillion, just days after overtaking iPhone maker Apple to become the second most valuable company. Microsoft’s stock market value was $3.325 trillion as its shares dipped 0.2%. Apple’s stock slipped 1.3%, putting its value at $3.278 trillion. Nvidia’s stock has surged about 173% so far this year, compared with a rise of about 19%…

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Tuesday moved to dismiss his lawsuit in California state court accusing ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman of abandoning the startup’s original mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and not for profit. Attorneys for Musk asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, originally filed in February, without giving a reason for the move, according to a filing in San Francisco Superior Court. A Superior Court judge there was prepared to hear OpenAI’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday. OpenAI and an attorney for Musk…

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Monday it would release a new AI model called GPT-4o, capable of realistic voice conversation and able to interact across text and vision, its latest move to stay ahead in a race to dominate the emerging technology. The new audio capabilities enable users to speak to ChatGPT and obtain real-time responses with no delay, as well as interrupt ChatGPT while it is speaking, both hallmarks of realistic conversations that AI voice chatbots have not had until now, the OpenAI researchers showed at a livestream event. Microsoft-backed OpenAI faces growing competition and pressure to expand the…

The United Nations food agency’s world price index rose for a second consecutive month in April as higher meat prices and small increases in vegetable oils and cereals outweighed declines in sugar and dairy products. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 119.1 points in April, up from a revised 118.8 points for March, the agency said on Friday. The FAO’s April reading was nonetheless 7.4% below the level a year earlier. The indicator hit a three-year low in February as food prices continued to move back from a record…