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French billionaire Bollore targeted in fraud case over Africa ports
French billionaire Bollore targeted in fraud case over Africa ports
by  AFP

Groups from five African countries filed fraud and corruption complaints Wednesday accusing French billionaire Vincent Bollore and one of his sons of illegally obtaining and benefitting from port concessions. Wednesday's complaint now accuses Bollore of corruption, benefitting from influence peddling and the unlawful taking of interests of local officials in Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast.

Tech firms fight to stem deepfake deluge
Tech firms fight to stem deepfake deluge
by  AFP

Tech firms are fighting the scourge of deepfakes, those deceptively realistic voices or videos used by scammers that are more available than ever thanks to artificial intelligence. Ever-improving generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools have become weapons in the hands of bad actors intent on tricking people out of their money or even their identities.

In US, a pastry chef attempts to crack an egg-free menu
In US, a pastry chef attempts to crack an egg-free menu
by  AFP

Since avian flu turned eggs into a luxury item, pastry chef Annie Clemmons has spent countless hours in her Maryland workshop, racking her brains about how to replace them in her recipes. "Never in a million years did I think it would be a luxury item."

Malaysia's Silicon Valley ambitions face tough challenges
Malaysia's Silicon Valley ambitions face tough challenges
by  AFP

Malaysia is making great strides in its effort to become a major player in the global semiconductor industry as it looks to capitalise on a surge in demand driven by the AI explosion but analysts warn it faces headwinds. Malaysia, however, is not starting from scratch, the analysts said.

Asian markets mixed as geopolitics, trade wars deplete sentiment
Asian markets mixed as geopolitics, trade wars deplete sentiment
by  AFP

Asian markets were mixed and gold hit another record high Wednesday as trade war worries cast a shadow and geopolitical concerns returned to the fore. - Gold hits new record - The Bank of Japan, as expected, stood pat on interest rates, having hiked them last month amid concerns over the outlook, particularly with regard to trade.

Bank of Japan holds rates, warning of trade uncertainty
Bank of Japan holds rates, warning of trade uncertainty
by  AFP

The Bank of Japan left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday in a widely expected move given the global economic uncertainty fuelled by US trade tariffs. The bank said on Wednesday that in Japan, "the employment and income situation has improved moderately".