Cash-strapped Taliban look to airspace for windfall

A view from inside a commercial plane flying over Kabul city in November 2021, after the Taliban takeover in August of that year. Photo: Hector RETAMAL / AFP/FileSource: AFP Far above Kabul, the cash-strapped Taliban government has located a potentially lucrative revenue stream: Afghanistan’s airspace. As Israel and Iran’s exchange …

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Ecuador Eyes FDI Revival Amid IMF Deal and Reforms

With an economic restructuring in the works, Ecuador is positioning itself to ride the tensions between the US and China to an economic rebound in 2025. While many of its Latin American neighbors are benefiting from post-pandemic tailwinds—including surging commodity prices and a nearshoring boom driven by the US—Ecuador continues …

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Trump thumbs nose at decades of India courtship

Activists burn an effigy of Trump to protest against tariff hikes during a demonstration in Kolkata. Photo: Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP/FileSource: AFP India once united US policymakers like few issues. For nearly three decades, US presidents of both parties courted New Delhi as an emerging ally, politely overlooking disagreements for …

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Why Companies Are Rehiring After AI Layoffs

Companies adopted AI quickly, hoping to increase productivity and reduce their costs by eliminating part of their workforce. That’s why, two years ago, IBM slashed 8,000 jobs in human resources and replaced their routine tasks with its AskHR system. Financial technology company Klarna also laid off 700 customer-service experts, hoping …

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Kering Names Ex-Renault CEO Luca de Meo as New Chief

The French luxury giant Kering, parent company of Saint Laurent and Gucci, is getting a new CEO, Luca de Meo. And surprisingly he is not a longtime ready-to-wear afficionado but a car industry veteran. De Meo, 58, had been leading the French Renault Group since 2020. He left the carmaker …

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Ripple Applies for US National Bank Charter

Crypto company Ripple has applied to US regulators for a national bank charter, as the distinction between digital asset firms and traditional financial institutions becomes increasingly blurred. Ripple’s decision—announced in July on social media by the company’s chief executive, Brad Garlinghouse—mirrors similar moves by Circle and BitGo. Analysts opine that …

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