Author: Steven Sahiounie

HANGZHOU, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) — The three-day 2022 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit that concluded Friday saw the participation, online and offline, of record 2,100 guests from over 120 countries and regions.The summit has been held for nine consecutive years and this year’s event is the first annual meeting of the World Internet Conference following the WIC’s inauguration as an international organization earlier this year.Apart from various sub-forums, this year’s Wuzhen Summit featured the WIC Member Representative Symposium for the first time.The symposium attracted more than 30 WIC member representatives from international organizations, leading global internet firms, industrial bodies…

Elon Musk didn’t waste any time jumping into the Twitter fray after an apparent hack of bankrupt crypto lender FTX drained hundreds of millions of dollars from company-controlled wallets.Just a couple of hours after the apparent hack began late Friday night, Musk tweeted “FTX meltdown/ransack being tracked in real-time on Twitter.” He also responded to a post by crypto entrepreneur Sam Altman with a raunchy meme of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.Around 2:30 am EST on Saturday morning, Musk joined a Twitter Space with over 60,000 listeners to discuss the hack of FTX and share his thoughts on Bankman-Fried.“To be…

The London Metal Exchange (LME) has decided against restricting Russian metals from its system and warehouses, according to a statement made public on Friday. “The LME does not propose at this time to prohibit the warranting of new Russian metal. Additionally, feedback clearly indicated that thresholds or similar limits would be too complex to be practicable,” the exchange said. The LME launched a discussion paper with market participants on the prospect of banning Russian metals last month,and its statement on Friday was based on the results of that discussion. The exchange explained that some parties to the discussion worried that…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator In France, it is banned in schools, and in Iran it is mandatory. The French fashion police are interfering with women’s freedom while criticizing their counterparts in Iran. A piece of cloth used by women to cover their hair has become a point of contention. The Orthodox Jewish women and the American Amish women wear head coverings, but when a Muslim woman wears a headscarf (hijab) it becomes an issue. “We constantly vilify these morality police in Iran and Afghanistan, but in countries like France, if you are wearing the full veil, police will…

The Singles’ Day shopping festival in China has beaten expectations this year, with sales surpassing 1.1 trillion yuan ($154 billion) for the first time ever, according to the Chinese consulting company Syntun. Considered the world’s largest shopping event, Singles’ Day is celebrated in China every year on November 11, although there are usually two so-called ‘sales windows’ when goods can be purchased at a discount – at the end of October and on November 11 itself.“Between 08:00 pm October 31 and 11:59 pm November 11, total sales of the major e-commerce platforms, including traditional e-commerce platforms and live streaming e-commerce…

The Pakistani trade mission has asked the Russian Trade Ministry to introduce a currency swap arrangement to strengthen economic ties between the two countries, the mission’s head, Muhammad Shaukat Hayat, said on Friday. “I have initiated a proposal to sign a pact on a currency swap and sent an official letter to the respective ministry. Now the ball is in Russia’s court. We are waiting for a response. It can be any mechanism – trading in rubles or barter trade,” he said.Russia and its trading partners have been expanding the share of national currencies in mutual settlements in a bid…

The Labor Department reported Thursday that prices for fuel oil surged 20% last month after declining 2.7% in September. That is markedly higher than the nationwide average increase of 7.7%. The price spike comes amid a nationwide and global shortage of diesel fuel. Government data released last month showed the country had just 25 days of diesel supply remaining, with stockpiles at their lowest level for records dating to 1993. In the Northeast, where more people depend on diesel to heat their homes in the winter, supplies are at one-third of their typical levels during this time of year, the…

With cryptocurrencies plunging and cryptocurrency exchange FTX Trading filing for bankruptcy, big celebrity names that inked deals with the company — including Tom Brady, his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen and Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz — may now find themselves passengers aboard a sinking ship. The Chapter 11 process will include Alameda Research, West Realm Series and 130 affiliated companies, according to a Friday announcement. This all came after rival crypto exchange Binance, who briefly agreed to step in, bailed, citing red flags that came up during the due diligence process. Embattled CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has resigned, following a lengthy…

Meta Platforms, the owner of the social media networks Facebook and Instagram, confirmed on Wednesday that more than 11,000 of its staff will be dismissed amid a sharp fall in the company’s revenue. In a statement, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that these are “some of the most difficult changes” in the tech giant’s history and added that he is “especially sorry to those impacted.” “I’ve decided to reduce the size of our team by about 13% and let more than 11,000 of our talented employees go,” Zuckerberg said. As the main cause of the challenges the company is…

US President Joe Biden was interrupted by screaming protesters during a speech at the UN’s COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Friday. While Biden boasted of his green policies, the demonstrators demanded an end to fossil fuel use. Stumbling over his words, Biden told the crowd in Sharm El Sheikh that his administration was committed to making “transformational changes” to reduce carbon emissions. As he went on to describe his vision of the US as “a trustworthy, committed global leader on climate,” a series of simian shrieks and howls cut him off. The noises came from a group of activists,…