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YouTube, the online video powerhouse, turns 20

YouTube has evolved from a dinner party lark 20 years ago into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable television in paid viewership.

Playgrounds come alive again with Brazil school phone ban

In Rio de Janeiro, children are playing again "like in the old days," and their focus in class has improved after a school cellphone ban pioneered in the city that has now gone national.

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Facebook wrong to remove 'death to Khameini' posts: watchdog

Facebook owner Meta should not have taken down posts featuring a slogan calling for the death of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini, a watchdog said on Monday.

Stock markets extend gains on Fed hopes, China

Major stock markets mostly climbed Monday and oil prices rallied, building on optimism generated by China's Covid reopening and hopes the Federal Reserve will slow its pace of interest rate hikes.

AstraZeneca buys US biotech firm CinCor

Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca on Monday agreed to buy US biotech company CinCor for $1.8 billion, expanding further into the field of heart and kidney drugs.

Mick Lynch: doughty union boss defending UK rail strikers

For some in the UK he is The Grinch behind rail strikes that stole Christmas, yet others praise him for helping a crisis-hit workforce.

'Can't keep up': pandemic cooking boom sharpens Japan knife sales

In a Japanese city once famous for forging samurai swords, craftsmen sharpen and polish kitchen knives, but even at full tilt their small factory can't keep up with global demand.

Tech at CES shows how farmers can save time, money and the environment

Armed with a smartphone in today's ever more connected world, farmers can remotely monitor the health of their fields, the level of feed in their silos or even the aging of wine in barrels.

Pakistan risks 'extraordinary misery' without flood recovery help: UN

The international community must help Pakistan recover from last year's devastating floods and boost climate resilience, or the country will be locked in misery, the head of the UN development agency told AFP.

Brazilian strike ace Dinamite dies aged 68

Ex-Brazil international Roberto Dinamite, the top scorer in the history of the Brazilian league, has died aged 68 of intestinal cancer, his former club Vasco da Gama confirmed on Sunday.

Prosecuted S.African ex-apartheid minister dies: statement

Adriaan Vlok, a feared minister under South Africa's apartheid system and one of its few high-ranking officials to be prosecuted, died Sunday aged 85 in a hospital near Pretoria, his family said.

More arrests over murder of Kenya LGBTQ activist

Kenyan police have arrested more suspects over the killing of LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba, whose mutilated body was found on a roadside stuffed in a metal trunk, media reports said Sunday.

Jack Ma: tycoon who soared on China's tech dreams grounded by regulators

Jack Ma, the unconventional billionaire founder of tech giant Alibaba and the totem of China's entrepreneurial brilliance, has stepped out of the limelight since a Communist Party crackdown that chopped back his empire.

Jack Ma to cede control of China's Ant Group

Jack Ma will cede control of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, the company announced Saturday, following a Communist Party crackdown on the nation's tech sector that targeted the charismatic billionaire.

France has 'debt of justice' to slain Kurds: relative

"It's here in Paris where my sister and her friends were killed," said Metin Cansiz, the brother of Kurdish activist Sakine Cansiz, who was gunned down in January 2013.

Green tech fights for limelight at CES gadget fest

At the CES tech megashow in Las Vegas, it is unusual to see an entrepreneur hold up a plant and present it as the latest breakthrough in consumer technology.

Croatian World Cup star Lovren rejects accusations of fascism

Dejan Lovren, a centre back who has rejoined Lyon in France, on Friday denied he sang fascist songs after Croatian victories in the World Cup or made homophobic tweets.

Abramovich's trusts reorganised before Russia sanctions: report

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's seven children became the beneficiaries of 10 offshore trusts holding assets worth billions of dollars shortly before he was hit with sanctions, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported Friday.

The oven won't talk to the fridge: 'smart' homes struggle

Tech firms have spent years hawking the idea of a connected home filled with "smart" devices that help smooth daily domestic lives -- and this year's CES gadget show in Las Vegas is no different.

US services activity shrinks for first time since May 2020

The dominant US services sector contracted for the first time in more than two years in December, survey data showed on Friday, as business activity slumped.

US job gains robust in December as wage growth slows

US job gains exceeded expectations in December while unemployment ticked down, a closely-watched government report said Friday -- in a sign the labor market remains hotter than hoped by policy-makers seeking to tamp down inflation.

High-profile flops fill gallery at CES gadget fest

A Gallery of Flops including a handset just for tweeting and a failed Apple stereo system warned entrepreneurs at CES on Thursday that dreams of market glory can crumble.

Southwest Airlines expects Q4 loss after storm chaos

Southwest Airlines said Friday it expects a fourth-quarter loss following last month's system breakdown that led to thousands of flight cancelations during the peak holiday travel season.

Stocks mostly rise after US jobs data

Stock markets mostly advanced Friday as traders digested key US jobs data and after news of falling inflation in the eurozone.

US unemployment dips in December as job gains remain robust

US job gains exceeded expectations in December while the unemployment rate ticked down, a closely-watched government report said Friday, signaling resilience in the labor market despite efforts to cool the economy.

Wells Fargo sacks India executive for urinating on plane passenger

US banking giant Wells Fargo on Friday sacked a top Indian executive now being pursued by police for allegedly urinating on a fellow passenger aboard an Air India flight.

Eurozone inflation falls for second month

The eurozone's annual inflation rate fell for a second month in a row, to 9.2 percent in December, driven by easing energy prices, official data showed Friday, bringing some relief to Europe in the new year.

World food prices hit record high in 2022

World food prices fell for a ninth month in a row in December but hit their highest level on record for the full year in 2022, UN data showed Friday.

Stocks mostly rise ahead of key US jobs data

Stock markets mostly advanced Friday as traders awaited key US jobs data and after news of falling inflation in the eurozone.

Pakistan imports threatened as forex reserves hit eight-year low

Pakistan's central bank forex reserves have plunged to an eight-year low of $5.6 billion, posing a serious challenge for the country in financing imports.

Germany's BioNTech plans UK trial of mRNA cancer therapy

German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which developed a trailblazing Covid-19 vaccine, will trial a cancer treatment in Britain using the same mRNA technology, the company said on Friday.

Asian markets mixed after healthy start to the new year

Asian investors struggled Friday to maintain the week's positive momentum as they eyed sharp losses on Wall Street that came after forecast-beating jobs data suggested the Federal Reserve would have to keep lifting interest rates.

More political storms for TikTok after US government ban

TikTok faces an uncertain year ahead in the United States as anti-China Republicans take greater control in Congress demanding tighter scrutiny for the highly popular video sharing app.

Hong Kongers await border reopening with mixed feelings

Shanghai engineer Roy Wang has a pressing task now that the border between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland is being reopened -- rekindling his long-distance relationship after a painful separation.

The Japan Times - Economy (English)