Author: admin@primenews

As British chip designer Arm prepares to raise about $5 billion in an initial public offering (IPO) on Thursday, its China business has become a serious point of concern. The SoftBank-owned firm used many pages of its IPO prospectus to warn investors of risks related to its exposure to China at a time of rising tension between Washington and Beijing over chip technology. Its regulatory filing last month revealed that a quarter of its sales come from China, through an unusual relationship with an entity it does not control and with which it has a complex history. Arm China is “an entity that…

It’s widely recognised that we are bombarded with fast-paced imagery in the modern world, whether it’s social media videos, or digital billboards in city spaces. But there has been a similar explosion in sound, says advertising entrepreneur Michele Arnese. He thinks brands can only compete with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). “More and more the sound of a brand is like liquid,” says Arnese. “It goes everywhere and takes its shape according to the customer experience.” Only AI, he argues, allows sound to shape-shift this way in our fast-paced, digitally connected world. Arnese founded the AI-centred music company Amp…

John Lewis has said its plan to return to profit will take two years longer after it reported further losses for the first half of the year. The High Street giant, which also owns Waitrose, said rising business costs and larger than expected investment requirements meant that its recovery plan would not be finished until 2028. The group’s pre-tax losses narrowed to £59m for the first half of 2023. It said its modernisation plans would “take precedence” over its staff bonus. In 2020, John Lewis launched its “Partnership Plan” with the aim of returning a £400m profit by 2025-26, but…

For decades, the West – and Washington particularly – has asked itself the question: how do you solve a problem like North Korea? Now it may be more urgent than ever as Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin’s heavily sanctioned regimes enter what appears to be a new era of friendship. But the US, it appears, is out of ideas. Details of any deal Moscow and Pyongyang may have struck are scant, but the biggest concerns are over the possibility of Russia sharing technology, particularly involving ballistic missiles or nuclear submarine systems. So far Washington has responded with derisive swipes – Mr…

Foxconn founder Terry Gou has chosen actress Tammy Lai as his running mate in the Taiwan presidential election. Today’s announcement has shocked many as Ms Lai has no political experience. Mr Gou is running as an independent after failing to secure the nomination from main opposition Kuomintang. Taiwan has been a democracy since 1996. China remains a key factor as it claims the island as its territory and does not rule out the use of force to achieve unification. Considered pro-China, Mr Gou’s ratings is falling behind William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party, Ko Wen-je of Taiwan People’s Party…

Zimbabwe’s recently re-elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa is facing outrage after appointing his son as deputy minister to the country’s finance ministry. Mnangagwa’s 34-year-old son, David, was among 26 officials sworn in as cabinet ministers Tuesday despite public anger when the list of the nominees was made public on Monday. In his expanded cabinet, Mnangagwa’s son is to deputize finance minister Mthuli Ncube while his nephew, Tongai, would serve as deputy minister in the country’s tourism ministry. Some Zimbabweans have accused Mnangagwa of running the impoverished southern African country as “a family business.” “Slowly Zimbabwe is becoming a family business. Mnangagwa Pvt (Ltd),” one Zimbabwean wrote on…

China on Tuesday unveiled a plan to deepen integration between the coastal province of Fujian and self-governing Taiwan, touting the benefits of closer cross-strait cooperation while sending warships around the island in a show of military might. The directive, issued jointly by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council, vows to make Fujian a “demonstration zone” for integrated development with Taiwan, and the “first home” for Taiwanese residents and businesses to settle in China. The document, hailed as a “blueprint” of Taiwan’s future development by Chinese experts cited in state media, comes at a delicate moment in cross-strait relations…

Norway’s Princess Martha Louise will marry her American partner, self-styled shaman Durek Verrett, next summer, the couple has announced. King Harald V congratulated the pair, saying he was happy to welcome Mr Verrett to his family. The princess relinquished her royal duties last year to run the alternative medicine business she shares with her fiance. Mr Verrett is known for promoting unfounded medical practices. He has suggested cancer is a choice and sold medallions online said to ward off Covid-19, while Princess Martha Louise has claimed she is able to communicate with angels. They announced their engagement in June 2022…

The father, stepmother and uncle of Sara Sharif, 10, have been arrested on suspicion of murder after returning to the UK from Pakistan. Urfan Sharif, 41, his wife Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, were arrested at Gatwick Airport at around 19:45 BST after disembarking a flight from Dubai. Police said three people were in custody and would be interviewed. Sara’s body was found at her home in Woking on 10 August. The three adults, who lived with her, left the UK for Pakistan the day before police found Sara’s body. A post-mortem examination found she had…

A Russian pilot tried to shoot down an RAF surveillance plane after believing he had permission to fire, the BBC has learned. The pilot fired two missiles, the first of which missed rather than malfunctioned as claimed at the time. Russia had claimed the incident last September was caused by a “technical malfunction”. The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) publicly accepted the Russian explanation. But now three senior Western defence sources with knowledge of the incident have told the BBC that Russian communications intercepted by the RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft give a very different account from the official version. The…