It was billed as a savior to Thailand’s post-pandemic slump, but the runaway cannabis industry has instead sparked a deep domestic backlash that could see the plant criminalized once again after next month’s election. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022. The move was widely supported, with people told the country would emerge as a regional hub for medical ca...
It was billed as a savior to Thailand’s post-pandemic slump, but the runaway cannabis industry has instead sparked a deep domestic backlash that could see the plant criminalized once again after next month’s election. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022. The move was widely supported, with people told the country would emerge as a regional hub for medical cannabis that would expand the health tourism sector and create a new cash crop for farmers. But within months it was clear the policy had instead sparked a boom in recreational use that spread to children. Thousands of shops selling ready-rolled spliffs and fruit-flavored gummies mushroomed across the country and the smell of cannabis on city streets became as ubiquitous as grilled pork. Doctors warned of a spike in hospital admissions, tourism groups feared the loss of high-spending visitors, and foreign governments complained of a rise in drug smuggling. Studies have also shown growing recreational use among schoolchildren, a major point of contention among many Thais. “It got out of control and has had a huge negative impact, especially on children and young people under 25, whose brains are still developing,” said Yodsakorn Khunphakdee, coordinator of Youth Network Against Cannabis, which submitted a petition to the Public Health Ministry last year with 200,000 signatories urging decriminalization to be overturned. Although authorities say the policy was designed for medical use, the lack of clear regulations created a gray area. Dispensaries with flashy neon signs dish out products freely, even after new rules established last year mandated the need for prescriptions. Patraporn Kinorn, a doctor specializing in child psychiatry and addiction treatment, said she’s seeing an increasing number of young patients addicted to cannabis. Youths are self-administering the plant to treat depression only to find their conditions worsen, she told a seminar about cannabis-induced ill...
New Google research into DeepSeek and Alibaba Cloud’s artificial intelligence models has found that powerful reasoning models capable of “thinking” demonstrated internal cognition resembling the mechanisms underpinning human collective intelligence. The findings published on Thursday suggested that perspective diversity, not just computational scale, was responsible for the increasing “intelligenc...
New Google research into DeepSeek and Alibaba Cloud’s artificial intelligence models has found that powerful reasoning models capable of “thinking” demonstrated internal cognition resembling the mechanisms underpinning human collective intelligence. The findings published on Thursday suggested that perspective diversity, not just computational scale, was responsible for the increasing “intelligence” of AI models, while also underscoring the growing importance of Chinese open models for...
走在委內瑞拉的街道上，前總統查韋斯的影響力依然清晰可見。從國營住宅外牆繪有他標誌性的眼神與簽名，到市面隨處可見的畫像與圖騰，這位2013年逝世的左翼領袖，其形象已深深融入國家景觀。首都的查韋斯紀念館每日都有民眾前往致敬，導賞員談及其事蹟時仍會激動落淚：「查韋斯是偉大的領袖，為基層提供很多福利，幫了很多窮人。」 支持與批判並存：窮人救星 vs. 獨裁標籤 查韋斯在位十五年，其政策深刻劃分了社會。基層...
Preliminary Financial Results and Business Update for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2025 Preliminary Financial Results and Business Update for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2025
Preliminary Financial Results and Business Update for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2025 Preliminary Financial Results and Business Update for the Quarter and Year Ended December 31, 2025
Malaysia is set to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday, as better-than-expected economic growth coupled with low inflation provide a buffer for policymakers to stand pat. Bank Negara Malaysia is expected to keep the Overnight Policy Rate at 2.75% at its first monetary policy committee meeting for the year, according to all 22 economists in a Bloomberg survey. The central bank ha...
Malaysia is set to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Thursday, as better-than-expected economic growth coupled with low inflation provide a buffer for policymakers to stand pat. Bank Negara Malaysia is expected to keep the Overnight Policy Rate at 2.75% at its first monetary policy committee meeting for the year, according to all 22 economists in a Bloomberg survey. The central bank has adjusted borrowing costs just once in the past two years, with a 25-basis point cut in July 2025. BNM has reason to remain steady. The Southeast Asian nation has proved resilient amid global headwinds, with economic growth accelerating in the second half of the year on robust domestic demand. Fears that US President Donald Trump’s tariffs would prompt an export slowdown in late 2025 didn’t materialize , with the value of outbound shipments last year reaching a record high. At the same time, inflation remained benign, easing to a five-year-low of 1.4% in 2025. The country’s fortunes contrast with the travails of neighboring Indonesia, which held rates unchanged on Wednesday after weak investor sentiment sent the rupiah to a record low. Here’s what to watch on Thursday at 3 p.m. local time: External Risks Malaysia is bracing for softer growth this year on expectations that global volatility will weigh on the trade-reliant nation. Renewed tariff threats from the US on various countries and growing geopolitical risks may lead to a bumpy ride for Malaysia’s trade this year, United Overseas Bank economists Julia Goh and Loke Siew Ting wrote in a note Tuesday. Malaysia expects trade to increase at a slower pace of 3.3% this year, from 6.3% in 2025, amid the fading impact of tariff-related front-loading and the possibility of fresh levies. A firmer ringgit could also put downward pressure on export-oriented industries. The ringgit emerged as the strongest currency in Asia last year. Growth Drivers Policymakers are counting on domestic demand to shield the economy from external he...
Sennheiser’s new Auracast transmitter can be purchased as part of a bundle with its new wireless headphones. | Image: Sennheiser As we've previously lamented , one of Bluetooth's best modern features isn't being embraced by the tech world, but that's changing. Sennheiser has announced a new pair of wireless headphones and a transmitter designed for private TV watching that both use a Bluetooth fea...
Sennheiser’s new Auracast transmitter can be purchased as part of a bundle with its new wireless headphones. | Image: Sennheiser As we've previously lamented , one of Bluetooth's best modern features isn't being embraced by the tech world, but that's changing. Sennheiser has announced a new pair of wireless headphones and a transmitter designed for private TV watching that both use a Bluetooth feature called Auracast. Like tuning into a radio station broadcast from a tower, multiple headphones, earbuds, hearing aids, and even speakers can tune into audio from the Sennheiser BTA1 digital transmitter without the hassles and limitations of pairing - if they're Auracast compatible. Sennheiser's $299.95 RS 275 TV Headphones bundle will be available for preorder starting th … Read the full story at The Verge.
Oklo Upgraded At BofA On Meta Deal Bank of America upgraded Oklo from Neutral to Buy following Meta’s recent, massive nuclear deal . According to the BofA report ( available to pro subs ), Meta's agreement with the hyperscaler provides investors with “tangible evidence advanced nuclear is moving from concept to execution.” Meta prepaid $25 million for Phase 1 of Oklo‘s nuclear campus construction ...
Oklo Upgraded At BofA On Meta Deal Bank of America upgraded Oklo from Neutral to Buy following Meta’s recent, massive nuclear deal . According to the BofA report ( available to pro subs ), Meta's agreement with the hyperscaler provides investors with “tangible evidence advanced nuclear is moving from concept to execution.” Meta prepaid $25 million for Phase 1 of Oklo‘s nuclear campus construction in Ohio for approximately 150 MW of energy. The funding is expected to be used for fuel procurement, site preparation, and early development ahead of final PPAs. With 16 reactors expected to come online between 2030 and 2036, this drives BofA’s 2036 targets to $5.9 billion in revenue (vs. $5.5 billion prior), 117 units (vs. 111 prior), and 6.7 GW deployed (vs. 6.3 GW prior), leading to a price target of $127, up from $111 prior . BofA analyst Dimple Gosai, who covers US cleantech at the bank, highlights the sequencing of a ramp to 1.2 GW thanks to the Meta deal, which moves “ Oklo‘s opportunity set from ‘conceptual’ to ‘actively financed’ development .” The bank also expects longer-dated cashflow thanks to continued progress on fuel supply and licensing. Specifically for the Ohio nuclear campus, Phase 1 is projected at 150 MW from two reactors online in 2030/31, Phase 2 adding two more reactors in 2032/33, Phase 3 adding four reactors in 2033/34, and finally Phase 4 adding eight reactors in 2035/36. BofA has yet to take into account any of the fuel recycling potential with regards to the mega-project announced for Tennessee. The campus in Tennessee is expected to include recycling and reprocessing facilities to convert used nuclear fuel from traditional reactors into fuel for Oklo‘s fast-spectrum Aurora reactors, as well as process plutonium for use in their Pluto reactor design. Pluto reactors are expected to be deployed at the recycling site in Tennessee as well. Oklo also has multiple other projects, including the Air Force has in Alaska and likely many other hyperscaler...
ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX), which develops immunotherapies for cancers and infectious diseases, closed Wednesday at $6.92, up 6.79%. The stock moved higher as short-sellers considered what to do after the company’s share price tripled in just three weeks this year. Trading volume
ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX), which develops immunotherapies for cancers and infectious diseases, closed Wednesday at $6.92, up 6.79%. The stock moved higher as short-sellers considered what to do after the company’s share price tripled in just three weeks this year. Trading volume
Nvidia's CEO told the World Economic Forum that AI infrastructure needs trillions more in investment to avoid a bubble collapse—even as fears mount that the industry is already overheating.
Nvidia's CEO told the World Economic Forum that AI infrastructure needs trillions more in investment to avoid a bubble collapse—even as fears mount that the industry is already overheating.
France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. Denis Balibouse | Reuters France rejected as "fake news" on Wednesday President Donald Trump 's assertion that he had pressured President Emmanuel Macron into hiking domestic drug prices after the U.S. leader threatened sweeping tariffs on French imports to the...
France's President Emmanuel Macron attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. Denis Balibouse | Reuters France rejected as "fake news" on Wednesday President Donald Trump 's assertion that he had pressured President Emmanuel Macron into hiking domestic drug prices after the U.S. leader threatened sweeping tariffs on French imports to the United States. It was the latest salvo in an escalating war of words between the two NATO allies as Trump's threat to take control of Greenland and to impose tariffs on any country that stands in his way puts transatlantic relations under unprecedented strain. "It is being claimed that President @Emmanuel Macron increased the price of medicines," the French presidency wrote on social media platform X. "He does not set their prices. They are regulated by the social security system and have, in fact, remained stable. Anyone who has set foot in a French pharmacy knows this." The Elysee used a GIF of Trump mouthing the words "fake news" in front of a microphone, with the same words in writing underneath. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland, that he had threatened Macron with tariffs to cajole him into increasing drug prices in France. 'Here's the story, Emmanuel...' "I said, 'Here's the story, Emmanuel, the answer is, you're going to do it, you're going to do it fast. And if you don't, I'm putting a 25% tariff on everything that you sell into the United States, and a 100% tariff on your wines and champagnes," Trump said. "(And Macron said) 'No, no, Donald, I will do it, I will do it'. It took me on average three minutes a country, saying the same thing, 'You will do it'," Trump said. Trump earlier mocked Macron for the aviator sunglasses he wore during his own speech at Davos on Tuesday. Trump has also threatened to hit French wines and champagnes with 200% tariffs in an apparent effort to persuade him to join t...
Netflix shares tumbled Wednesday after the company issued a disappointing forecast for earnings in the months ahead as it spends more on programming and works to close its $82.7 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. The streaming leader said Tuesday it plans to increase spending on films and TV shows by 10% this year while forging ahead with plans to buy the studio and streaming business o...
Netflix shares tumbled Wednesday after the company issued a disappointing forecast for earnings in the months ahead as it spends more on programming and works to close its $82.7 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. The streaming leader said Tuesday it plans to increase spending on films and TV shows by 10% this year while forging ahead with plans to buy the studio and streaming business of Warner Bros., a deal that would unite two of the world’s largest entertainment companies. Netflix spent about $18 billion on programming last year, with subscribers growing almost 8% to top 325 million. Wedbush Securities Media & Entertainment Equity Research SVP Alicia Reese joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss. She speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)