World News

Waymo in talks to raise over $15 billion at nearly $100 billion valuation

Waymo and its would-be financial backers have weighed a valuation as high as $110 billion, though the amount raised and final value have yet to be determined

Warner Bros Discovery board rejects Paramount's $108 bn hostile bid

Paramount took its bid directly to Warner Bros' shareholders last week after the company announced a deal with Netflix on December 5

Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training

The deal unites two of the largest US-based online learning platforms at a time when consumer course enrollment growth has cooled from pandemic highs

India, Ethiopia share vision for peace, security and Global South: PM Modi

Modi, who arrived here on Tuesday on his maiden bilateral visit, said it was wonderful to be in Ethiopia, the land of lions, as he greeted lawmakers in the local language, 'Tena yistilign, Salaam'

Why Asim Munir's third US trip may cost him support of Pakistanis

Pakistan's military chief Asim Munir is expected to travel to Washington for a third time in six months, amid discussions on a proposed US-backed force to stabilise Gaza

Meta moves to single age-check system as global child safety rules tighten

Meta aims to roll out one age-check system for Facebook and Instagram as global child safety laws grow and pressure on tech firms increases

Suspected gunman in Bondi Beach massacre charged with 15 counts of murder

The 24-year-old man was charged in Sydney hospital on Wednesday, where he has been since police shot him and his gunman father at Bondi

Japan's exports rise 6% in November as shipments to US bounce back

The preliminary data released Wednesday showed Japan's total imports rose 1.3 per cent last month over a year earlier

Top Trump aide says he has 'alcoholic's personality'; US President responds

In a Vanity Fair interview, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles suggested that Elon Musk is a 'drug user', and called US Vice President Vance a 'conspiracy theorist'

Asian shares mixed as Trump orders blockade of oil tankers to Venezuela

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 shed 0.3 per cent to 49,237.58. Traders awaited a decision on an interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan later in the week

Consumer goods firms shorten CEO tenures amid growth push, market pressures

Up to the end of the third quarter of 2025, there were 176 incoming CEOs worldwide, a 9% year-on-year rise

Amazon's Luxembourg hub faces 370 job cuts, the biggest in two decades

Amazon's European headquarters in Luxembourg will see 370 job cuts in the coming weeks, the biggest in over 20 years, as the company trims staff and shifts focus to AI

Amazon in talks to invest in OpenAI as AI firm eyes $500 billion valuation

The potential deal comes at a time when OpenAI is laying the groundwork for an initial public offering that could value the company at up to $1 trillion

Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners backs out of Warner Bros takeover plan

Earlier this month, Affinity emerged as a participant in Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros, a proposal that valued the Hollywood studio at approximately $108.4 billion

Cost of proposed White House ballroom may now reach $400 mn, says Trump

The White House has said it's being financed by private donations, but has not publicly specified them - raising questions about which people or companies might fund it to curry favour with Trump

Japan weighs record 120 trillion yen budget as PM Takaichi fights inflation

If approved, the plan would cross the previous record 115.2 trillion yen initial budget that was cleared under former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba for fiscal 2025

Why China's graduates are choosing government jobs over private firms

China's weak economy and job cuts in private firms are pushing young graduates towards government jobs, with record applicants chasing stable careers despite tough competition

Musk's worth soars past $600 bn; richer than Bezos, Zuckerberg combined

Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires tracker showed Elon Musk's net worth climbing past $684 bn, a milestone no one has previously reached, after reports said SpaceX was preparing for a public listing

Trump to deliver prime-time address on Thursday morning amid waning support

The address, coming near the end of Donald Trump's first year back in the White House, is set for a pivotal moment as his poll numbers soften and the economy faces headwinds

Sydney's Bondi beach shooter awakens from coma as first funeral held

New South Wales police were expected to start questioning 24 year-old Naveed Akram on Wednesday, Commissioner Mal Lanyon said