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Salvadoran town hopes Trump brings 'good times' for bitcoin
Salvadoran town hopes Trump brings 'good times' for bitcoin
by  AFP

Bitcoin enthusiasts seeking to turn a mountain town in El Salvador into a cryptocurrency haven hope that US President Donald Trump's return to the White House will boost their cause. In 2021, El Salvador became the world's first country to establish bitcoin as legal tender, at the initiative of President Nayib Bukele, one of the country's most fervent cryptocurrency enthusiasts.

With China's DeepSeek, US tech fears red threat
With China's DeepSeek, US tech fears red threat
by  AFP

The emergence of the DeepSeek chatbot has sent Silicon Valley into a frenzy, with calls to go faster on advancing artificial intelligence and beat communist-led China before it is too late. "China’s innovation with DeepSeek is jarring, but it’s nothing compared to what will happen if China beats the US on the ultimate goal of AGI, artificial general intelligence.

Meta agrees to pay Trump $25 mn to settle account ban lawsuit
Meta agrees to pay Trump $25 mn to settle account ban lawsuit
by  AFP

Meta has agreed to pay President Donald Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit he filed claiming he was wrongfully censored by Facebook and Instagram after the US Capitol riot, the company said Wednesday. In December, ABC News agreed to pay a $15 million settlement payment to resolve a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump stemming from on-air comments about him made by a top anchor.

Brazil central bank hikes interest rate as Lula's woes mount
Brazil central bank hikes interest rate as Lula's woes mount
by  AFP

Brazil's central bank on Wednesday hiked its key interest rate to 13.25 percent in more bad news for leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government, which is struggling to curb high inflation. The interest rate decision was the first taken under the leadership of new central bank chief Gabriel Galipolo, appointed by Lula, who has fiercely opposed higher interest rates.

Meta posts big profit, plans massive AI investment
Meta posts big profit, plans massive AI investment
by  AFP

Social media giant Meta on Wednesday reported surging profits and revenue for 2024, announcing ambitious plans to expand its artificial intelligence infrastructure in the year ahead. The company expanded its workforce by 10 percent to 74,067 employees in 2024, with plans for further growth in technical roles focused on AI development and infrastructure.

Tesla results miss estimates, citing lower vehicle prices
Tesla results miss estimates, citing lower vehicle prices
by  AFP

Tesla reported lower than expected profits Wednesday, citing declining vehicle prices as a factor as it projected a return to volume growth in 2025. "With the advancements in vehicle autonomy and the introduction of new products, we expect the vehicle business to return to growth in 2025," Tesla said.

Microsoft profit rises but cloud business misses mark
Microsoft profit rises but cloud business misses mark
by  AFP

Microsoft on Wednesday reported profits of $24.1 billion in the recently ended quarter, but shares slid on worries over its vital cloud computing business. Microsoft revenue grew to $69.6 billion and the amount of money taken in by its "intelligence cloud" unit climbed to $25.5 billion but the market had expected more.