Ripple aims to become ‘the Amazon of payments’ says CEO

Associated Press
On a China visit, the German chancellor says Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens global security
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leader Xi Jinping who hosted him in Beijing on Tuesday that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine threatens global security, in an apparent call for China to apply greater pressure on its neighbor and close strategic partner to resolve the conflict. Scholz also told Xi at their meeting that the use of nuclear weapons in the 2-year-old war should not even be threatened, German media reported.
6m ago
AFP
UK parliament to debate law phasing out smoking
The UK parliament will on Tuesday kick off its first debate on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's planned legislation to prevent young people from ever smoking, despite opposition from many in his own Conservative Party."This has the potential to phase out smoking in young people almost completely as early as 2040," the government said when it unveiled the plan, calling the move "historic".
22m ago
AFP
Equities sink, oil rallies on fears of Iran-Israel conflict
Stock markets fell and oil prices climbed Tuesday on growing fears of a wider war in the Middle East after Israel's army chief vowed a response to Iran's unprecedented attack on his country at the weekend.All eyes are on the Middle East after Tehran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at its regional enemy, saying the attack was retaliation for an April 1 strike on the consular annex of its Damascus embassy that killed seven Revolutionary Guards including two generals.
23m ago
AFP
Stellantis boss Tavares defends pay rise ahead of shareholders' vote
Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares has defended his 36.5 million euro ($38.75 million) pay package ahead of a vote Tuesday by the car giant's shareholders.According to the Stellantis annual report, the 65-year-old Portuguese executive is to get a 10 million euro bonus for the transformation of the group -- formed out of the 2021 merger of Peugeot and Fiat-Chrysler -- that would take his pay to 36.5 million euros.
30m ago
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian shares track Wall Street slump triggered by strong US spending data
Asian shares skidded Tuesday following a slump on Wall Street after higher yields in the U.S. bond market cranked up pressure on stocks. In the oil market, a barrel of U.S. crude for May delivery slipped 10 cents to $85.31 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
34m ago
Associated Press
Heavy rains lash UAE and surrounding nations as the death toll in Oman flooding rises to 18
Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai. Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighboring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the sultanate prepared for the storm. The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel and the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates.
36m ago
Reuters
South Koreans still seek answers 10 years after Sewol ferry disaster
South Korea remembered the 304 people, most of them school children, who died on the Sewol ferry on the 10th anniversary of its sinking on Tuesday, with families calling for a proper apology for the unnecessary deaths of their loved ones. Many parents attended a memorial service in the city of Ansan, home of the 250 children who died on the ferry during a school excursion, while another 37 family members boarded a Coast Guard ship that sailed to the scene of the disaster, marked by a lone buoy, and held a memorial at sea. "Every single day of the 10 years has been painful, unbearable time," Kim Jong-gi, who lost his daughter Soo-jin, said at the memorial, adding that those responsible for the disaster had yet to be held accountable.
38m ago
Reuters
Georgia's parliament presses forward with 'foreign agent' bill despite protests
The speaker of Georgia's parliament said that lawmakers would debate the first reading of a bill on "foreign agents" on Tuesday as opponents called for a second day of protests against a measure they see as Russian-inspired. More than 5,000 people demonstrated on Monday outside parliament, facing off against riot police and water cannon to oppose a bill that Georgian and Western critics have warned would jeopardise Georgia's hopes of moving towards membership of the European Union. The bill would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as being agents of foreign influence.
51m ago
Yahoo Finance
Trump Media stock tanks on move to issue millions of shares
Trump Media stock slid as much as 16% on Monday after the parent company of Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, filed to issue more than 21 million shares.
54m ago
Time
USC Faces Backlash Over Alleged ‘Censorship’ of Pro-Palestinian Valedictorian’s Speech
The University of Southern California has been accused of “censorship” after canceling Asna Tabassum’s commencement address in the name of safety concerns.
57m ago
CNN
Sydney mall attacker may have targeted women, police say, as more details emerge of his six victims
Australian police said Monday that the attacker who fatally stabbed six people at a busy shopping mall in Sydney’s beach suburb of Bondi may have been targeting women, as heartbreaking details emerged of those who lost their lives, plunging a nation into mourning.
59m ago
Yahoo Finance
Where Biden's billions in chipmaking money have gone — and what could be next
President Joe Biden has spent $23 billion of the $39 billion he has to spur chipmaking in the US, spreading it to companies that plan new activities in several states.
1h ago
Reuters
Indian yoga guru seeks mercy from judges in misleading ads case
Popular Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev said on Tuesday he made a mistake and apologised to a court for defying its orders to stop misleading advertisements that claim his traditional ayurvedic medicines can cure chronic diseases like diabetes. Ramdev, dressed in a saffron-coloured robe, pleaded before two Supreme Court judges with folded hands and said he felt provoked to react after his firm Patanjali Ayurved's hugely popular medicines were called "pseudo-science" by critics, but added he was not justifying his action. The Supreme Court has previously refused to accept two formal apologies from Ramdev and his firm's co-founder Acharya Balkrishna, made through their lawyers, in the contempt case and also admonished the head of a state drugs regulator for not taking legal action against the firm.
1h ago
CNN
Powerful storms could brew destructive tornadoes and hail in parts of the Midwest
A powerful storm system capable of unleashing damaging hail, wind and tornadoes is expected to barrel through parts of the Mississippi Valley and Midwest Tuesday after triggering tornado watches in the Plains overnight.
1h ago
AFP
'Bad for business': Gulf states scramble to avert wider war
Gulf states are grappling with the widening Middle East conflict as hostilities between Iran and Israel threaten their security and ambitious plans to reshape their economies.The Gulf countries share an "overall realisation that conflict is bad for business and avoiding conflict comes now almost at any cost", said King's College London Middle East analyst Andreas Krieg.
1h ago
AFP
Germany's Scholz seeks Chinese role in 'just peace' for Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday he hoped Berlin and Beijing could help achieve a "just peace" in Ukraine, as he met President Xi Jinping in the Chinese capital.Meeting with Xi at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Tuesday, Scholz told the Chinese leader he hoped to discuss "how we can contribute more to a just peace in Ukraine".
1h ago
Reuters
Stabbed Sydney bishop is a TikTok star beloved by his community
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel who was stabbed during a church service live streamed from Sydney on Monday is a social media star with followers around the world, but the bearded clergyman is also a divisive preacher. The 53-year-old bishop, who has a popular youth following on TikTok and was awarded by YouTube in 2023 for hitting 100,000 subscribers, has been a target for criticism, hate and online trolling. On Monday night a male teenager stabbed him and other worshippers with a knife during a sermon at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in western Sydney.
1h ago
CNN
Narendra Modi: India’s popular but controversial leader seeking a transformative third term
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reelection slogan makes a simple promise: “good days are coming.” But his opponents argue he has done little to soothe India’s deep divisions.
1h ago
Associated Press
Fire rages through the 17th-century old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen and its spire has collapsed
One of Copenhagen's oldest buildings is on fire and its iconic spire has collapsed. The fire that began Tuesday in the copper roof of the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange, or Boersen, has now spread to much of the building, and parts of the roof have also collapsed, said firefighters' spokesman Jakob Vedsted Andersen. “The extinguishing work is very difficult,” said Vedsted Andersen, adding that there are parts of the building that the firefighters cannot enter because it is too dangerous.
1h ago
AFP
Is fractious France ready for an Olympics party?
Organisers of the Paris Olympics have promised a "great national party" for the country, but with 100 days to go, France's bitter politics and gloomy mindset are dampening the mood."Take a bit of perspective and look at the history of previous Games," the 46-year-old urged reporters, promising the Paris edition would make the nation "proud".
2h ago

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