The Port of Balboa at the Panama Canal in Panama City, Jan. 30, 2026. Photo: VCG Panama has appointed a unit of Danish firm Maersk to temporarily run two strategic ports previously operated by CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., following a Supreme Court ruling that declared the Hong Kong conglomerate’s contract unconstitutional. The Panama Maritime Authority described the appointment of A.P. Moller (APM ...
The Port of Balboa at the Panama Canal in Panama City, Jan. 30, 2026. Photo: VCG Panama has appointed a unit of Danish firm Maersk to temporarily run two strategic ports previously operated by CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., following a Supreme Court ruling that declared the Hong Kong conglomerate’s contract unconstitutional. The Panama Maritime Authority described the appointment of A.P. Moller (APM Terminals) to manage the Cristobal and Balboa ports as a “technical operational transition plan” designed to ensure uninterrupted global logistics.
But as age assurance becomes a global debate rather than simply a UK one, it is unlikely this will be the last time we see companies such as Pornhub try to take a stand, regardless of what their motives might be.
But as age assurance becomes a global debate rather than simply a UK one, it is unlikely this will be the last time we see companies such as Pornhub try to take a stand, regardless of what their motives might be.
'This is absolutely INSANE." While the comment came from a social media post, the painful knee-jerk reaction is likely reverberating across the board for anyone even remotely interested in crypto, as bitcoin just plunged to near $77,000 on Saturday and has held there since. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newslette...
'This is absolutely INSANE." While the comment came from a social media post, the painful knee-jerk reaction is likely reverberating across the board for anyone even remotely interested in crypto, as bitcoin just plunged to near $77,000 on Saturday and has held there since. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy . The price of the largest digital asset didn’t just stumble; it plunged through the $80,000 floor, hitting levels not seen since the "tariff tantrums" of April 2025. By Saturday afternoon, in thin weekend liquidity, at just above $77,000, bitcoin had seen a staggering $800 billion in market value vanish since its October peak above $126,000, and about $2.5 billion in leveraged long positions liquidated in 24 hours. The wipeout has even pushed bitcoin out of the global top 10 assets, where it had been for a long time, now trailing institutional heavyweights like Elon Musk's Tesla and Saudi Aramco. To say that this selloff has been painful would be putting it mildly, as social media is in full-blown panic mode, and wherever you look, there is blood on the street. And this is not just isolated to bitcoin; this week has been painful across all asset types, from tech stocks to precious metals. Historic week of downturns (Max Crypto/X) If you’re wondering why the "digital gold" narrative has suddenly gone silent, here is the breakdown of the three-headed monster currently driving the market into a state of "Extreme Fear." 1. Geopolitics rattles the 'safety' trade The immediate spark on Saturday was a literal explosion. Reports of a potential sharp military escalation between the U.S. and Iran sent risk appetite into a deep freeze. In a repeat of a familiar script, traders didn't treat bitcoin as a safe haven; they treated it as a liquidity sourc...
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market on Thursday snapped the four-day winning streak in which it had gathered more than 20 points or 1.6 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now rests just beneath the 1,310-point plateau although it may tick higher again on Friday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is flat to slightly higher ahead of key inflation data later today. The European markets wer...
(RTTNews) - The Thai stock market on Thursday snapped the four-day winning streak in which it had gathered more than 20 points or 1.6 percent. The Stock Exchange of Thailand now rests just beneath the 1,310-point plateau although it may tick higher again on Friday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is flat to slightly higher ahead of key inflation data later today. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were slightly higher and the Asian markets figure to split the difference. The SET finished modestly lower on Thursday following losses from the food, finance, industrial, property, resource and technology sectors. For the day, the index sank 9.69 points or 0.73 percent to finish at 1,309.46 after trading between 1,307.67 and 1,316.58. Volume was 10.667 billion shares worth 34.178 billion baht. There were 339 decliners and 156 gainers, with 162 stocks finishing unchanged. Among the actives, Thailand Airport gave up 0.85 percent, while Asset World lost 0.57 percent, Banpu plummeted 3.37 percent, Bangkok Bank tumbled 1.88 percent, Bangkok Dusit Medical advanced 0.93 percent, B. Grimm added 0.46 percent, BTS Group softened 1.29 percent, CP All Public was down 0.45 percent, Charoen Pokphand Foods retreated 1.29 percent, Energy Absolute plummeted 12.79 percent, Gulf fell 0.61 percent, Kasikornbank slid 0.40 percent, Krung Thai Bank shed 0.59 percent, Krung Thai Card weakened 1.19 percent, PTT Oil & Retail dropped 1.84 percent, PTT sank 0.76 percent, PTT Exploration and Production dipped 0.32 percent, PTT Global Chemical tanked 2.40 percent, SCG Packaging declined 1.47 percent, Siam Commercial Bank surrendered 1.89 percent, Siam Concrete stumbled 1.32 percent, Thai Oil slumped 1.85 percent, True Corporation jumped 1.71 percent, TTB Bank skidded 1.16 percent and Advanced Info and Bangkok Expressway were unchanged. The lead from Wall Street is cautiously optimistic as the major averages bounced back and forth across the unchanged line all day Thursday b...
The 68th Grammy Awards' red carpet showed off the biggest names in music in their finery. Take a look at what stars such as Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone and more wore before the awards ceremony began.
The 68th Grammy Awards' red carpet showed off the biggest names in music in their finery. Take a look at what stars such as Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone and more wore before the awards ceremony began.
A study of affluent Chinese released this month by consulting firm Oliver Wyman found that 22% of respondents were negative about the economy when surveyed in May. It just exceeds the 21% seen in October 2022, just before Beijing announced plans to ease its stringent zero-Covid policy. Dukai Photographer | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday as investors assessed private...
A study of affluent Chinese released this month by consulting firm Oliver Wyman found that 22% of respondents were negative about the economy when surveyed in May. It just exceeds the 21% seen in October 2022, just before Beijing announced plans to ease its stringent zero-Covid policy. Dukai Photographer | Moment | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Monday as investors assessed private data for China's factory activity in January , while gold extended losses from Friday. China's factory activity gathered speed in January, according to a private survey released Monday, as manufacturers accelerated production and loaded cargoes ahead of the extended Lunar New Year holiday. The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI, conducted by S&P Global, rose to 50.3 in January from 50.1 the previous month, in line with analysts' expectations of 50.3 in a Reuters poll. A reading above the 50 benchmark indicates an expansion, while one below that suggests contraction. That marked the strongest level since October, when the private-surveyed PMI came in at 50.6 . Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.13%, while the Topix added 0.52%. South Korea's Kospi declined over 2.5%, while the small-cap Kosdaq lost as much as 3%. Hong Kong Hang Seng index declined 1.64%, while the mainland CSI 300 is down 0.68%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.57%. Gold and silver are in focus after Friday's sharp declines . Spot gold was trading 5% lower at $4,612 per ounce, while silver slid around 4% to $81.189 per ounce. Silver prices, which had more than doubled over the past 12 months, plunged around 30% last Friday, marking the metal's worst one-day performance since 1980. Gold also dropped around 9%. Futures tied to the main U.S. benchmarks fell during early Asia hours as Wall Street begins a new month of trading, with traders keeping an eye on bitcoin after a weekend sell-off. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 143 points, or 0.3%. S&P 500 futures dipped 0.6%, while Nasdaq-100 futures shed...
Twenty years ago, technologies developed by Liang Jie at Microsoft were incorporated into products like the Windows Media Video Player and Blu-ray discs used by millions worldwide. A decade on, while a professor in Canada, Liang ventured into entrepreneurship, developing an intelligent sensor system for elderly care to address global population ageing. Today, he brings his top-tier expertise in im...
Twenty years ago, technologies developed by Liang Jie at Microsoft were incorporated into products like the Windows Media Video Player and Blu-ray discs used by millions worldwide. A decade on, while a professor in Canada, Liang ventured into entrepreneurship, developing an intelligent sensor system for elderly care to address global population ageing. Today, he brings his top-tier expertise in image and video compression back to China. Advertisement According to the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT), he joined the university in January as a chair professor at its School of Electronic Science and Technology. Liang was admitted to the special programme for gifted students at Xian Jiaotong University in 1988, transferring to the electrical engineering programme in 1989. Advertisement He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees there in 1992 and 1995. This unique programme, one of only two in China at the time, enrolled junior high graduates, allowed free choice of major and offered direct progression to master’s studies.
Key Points AT&T's converged connectivity strategy is resonating with consumers. The telecom giant is adding subscribers at a solid clip. 10 stocks we like better than AT&T › Shares of AT&T (NYSE: T) jumped more than 10% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The wireless carrier delivered an impressive quarterly financial report and issued a bullish long-term growth...
Key Points AT&T's converged connectivity strategy is resonating with consumers. The telecom giant is adding subscribers at a solid clip. 10 stocks we like better than AT&T › Shares of AT&T (NYSE: T) jumped more than 10% this past week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The wireless carrier delivered an impressive quarterly financial report and issued a bullish long-term growth forecast. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » AT&T is back to its winning ways A focus on bundled offerings is helping AT&T attract more customers. The communications leader won 421,000 postpaid phone and 283,000 fiber subscribers in the fourth quarter. During a conference call with analysts, CEO John Stankey said AT&T saw an upturn in the portion of its fiber customers that also subscribed to its wireless services. "Our fiber convergence rate climbed 200 basis points year over year to 42%, which is our fastest annual increase since we began tracking this metric," Stankey said. "This is further evidence that where we have fiber, we win with fiber and 5G." Moreover, AT&T's postpaid churn rate -- an important metric of account cancellations -- came in at less than 1%. Investors were happy to see that the wireless giant was also doing an admirable job of retaining its existing customers, despite the promotional activity of rivals like Verizon and T-Mobile. More cash for shareowners In all, AT&T's convergence-based strategy helped it generate $16.6 billion in free cash in 2024. The telecom expects that figure to grow to more than $21 billion by 2028. AT&T intends to pass much of that cash on to shareholders. Its stock currently sports a 4.2% dividend yield. The company's board of directors also approved a new $10 billion stock buyback program. Should you buy stock in AT&T right now? Before you buy stock in AT&T, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just ident...
Hong Kong stocks fell on Monday, mirroring Wall Street’s retreat, as risk sentiment remained fragile after a choppy end to last week that also dragged down precious metals. The Hang Seng Index declined 1.1 per cent to 27,097.34 at the open, adding to the 2.1 per cent loss recorded in its previous session. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1.3 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index dropped 0.7...
Hong Kong stocks fell on Monday, mirroring Wall Street’s retreat, as risk sentiment remained fragile after a choppy end to last week that also dragged down precious metals. The Hang Seng Index declined 1.1 per cent to 27,097.34 at the open, adding to the 2.1 per cent loss recorded in its previous session. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1.3 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index dropped 0.7 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.9 per cent. Metals miners sank after the Shanghai Gold Exchange raised margin requirements and adjusted daily price limits for silver deferred contracts. Zijin Mining slumped 10 per cent to HK$37.72, and aluminium producer China Hongqiao Group fell 5.1 per cent to HK$34.28. Advertisement Tencent Holdings slipped 1.3 per cent to HK$598 after launching a 1 billion yuan (US$144 million) red-envelope subsidy campaign for its AI application Yuanbao. Electric-vehicle maker BYD fell 1.3 per cent to HK$96.45 after reporting a 30 per cent drop in January sales. Limiting losses, carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings rose 1.1 per cent to HK$16.27, while insurance firm AIA Group added 0.8 per cent to HK$91.10 and lender BOC Hong Kong Holdings advanced 0.4 per cent to HK$41.40. Advertisement Sentiment weakened as losses spread from US equities to precious metals, with gold and silver retreating after a sharp speculative run-up. The S&P 500 Index fell 0.4 per cent and the Nasdaq lost 0.9 per cent on Friday in the US. Gold fell 4 per cent, extending its decline after suffering its steepest drop in more than a decade on Friday, while silver slid 1.8 per cent following a 26 per cent slump in the previous session.
Five-country initiative addresses emerging compliance challenges as ASEAN tightens AI oversight SINGAPORE, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore has become the first country to release a governance framework for agentic AI. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo announced the Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI at the World Economic Forum. The framework requires o...
Five-country initiative addresses emerging compliance challenges as ASEAN tightens AI oversight SINGAPORE, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore has become the first country to release a governance framework for agentic AI. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo announced the Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI at the World Economic Forum. The framework requires organizations to maintain human accountability for AI agents, implement technical controls, and ensure transparency. Armor and Microsoft Security leaders at the Microsoft Digital Trust & Global Regulation Roadshow in Singapore, January 2026. Armor Initiative Helps Enterprises Respond Armor, a global leader in cloud-native managed detection and response and Microsoft Solutions Partner for Security, today announced an initiative spanning Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to help enterprises operationalize these new requirements. Armor brings direct experience securing AI-driven enterprises. A healthcare technology company using GenAI tools to serve 800+ health systems achieved a 29x reduction in mean time to respond (MTTR) after partnering with Armor for 24/7 managed detection and response. "Singapore's Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI (MGF) recognizes what we've been telling clients: AI agents that can act autonomously need the same security rigor as any privileged user," said Chris Drake, Founder and CEO of Armor. "You wouldn't give an employee access to sensitive systems without visibility and controls. The same logic applies to AI." Armor Nexus: Security Operations Reimagined Central to Armor's approach is Nexus, its unified security operations platform built for teams who run their own SOCs. Unlike traditional SOCs that rely on manual processes and fragmented ticketing systems, Nexus was built by practitioners who defend organizations from the inside. Nexus unifies operations and technology on a single platform because real incident...
Is An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Right For You? Are You Super Rich? Authored by Javier Simon via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) can allow affluent individuals to pass on wealth to heirs while keeping it outside of their taxable estate . This could help them reduce or avoid the estate tax upon death, which can be as high as 40 percent. Photo Smooth...
Is An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust Right For You? Are You Super Rich? Authored by Javier Simon via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) can allow affluent individuals to pass on wealth to heirs while keeping it outside of their taxable estate . This could help them reduce or avoid the estate tax upon death, which can be as high as 40 percent. Photo Smoothies/Shutterstock It also can help you pass over assets to individuals with special needs without affecting their eligibility for government programs like Medicaid or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). But it may not be the best for everyone. It’s virtually impossible to amend an ILIT without a court order or the consent of its beneficiaries. There are also some more pitfalls to watch out for. So let’s take a closer look at an ILIT and see if it’s right for you as part of your comprehensive estate plan. What Is an ILIT? You can establish an ILIT with the help of a qualified estate-planning attorney. The ILIT is a legal arrangement that holds assets, mainly a life insurance policy, for the benefit of another or others. As a trust grantor, you create the trust . You may appoint a trustee to manage the trust. The trustee can be anyone such as a lawyer, a family member, a friend or an organization. The trustee uses trust assets to purchase a life insurance policy in your name . The trustee is also responsible for paying annual insurance premiums and administering the trust. When you pass away, the policy’s death benefit is paid directly to the trust and then proceeds are distributed to the beneficiary. Tax Benefits of an ILIT One of the main reasons people utilize ILITs is to minimize any estate tax burden. When you transfer assets to an ILIT, you relinquish control of those assets completely and they technically become property of the trust, which is its own legal entity. So these assets won’t be part of your gross taxable estate and thereby could minimize estate taxes o...