Meta appoints Dhruv Vohra to lead Southeast Asia business as AI and chat commerce reshape online retail

Word on the street is that Apple could announce its new smart home hub on 13 October.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocked an effort from Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday to pass by unanimous consent the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a long-sought bill that intends to protect kids in the digital space.  KOSA, which aims to hold accountable social media companies for the alleged harms their...

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday knocked President Trump for opposing federal limits on the development of AI.  Jeffries said Trump’s approach of allowing the AI industry to police itself is a classic — and dangerous — case of letting the fox guard the henhouse. “The notion of entering into a voluntary agreement...

Starliner's first crewed test flight left two astronauts stranded on the ISS for nine months.

Senate Democrats have blocked a bill that seeks to address data center electricity costs, calling it ineffective and "toothless," though the legislation passed the House with significant bipartisan support. The Democrats did not provide the Ratepayer Protection Act with the 60 votes needed to overcome the filibuster, blocking it in a procedural vote on Wednesday,...

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) launched an investigation into former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) over Kalshi trades related to pardons issued by former President Biden. The prediction market account — which was allegedly linked to the former lawmaker — made transactions between December 2024 and January 2025 concerning whether Kinzinger would receive a pardon,...

Industry experts on Wednesday will face questioning from members of a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee panel about the national security risks posed by rogue AI. The hearing will focus on how autonomous AI agents — including OpenAI's model that unsuccessfully attempted to breach federal agency websites — could be used to launch...

The letter detailing President Trump’s pact with key AI leaders posted Tuesday following his meeting with technology leaders contains a typo, misspelling his title as “President of the Unites States." The letter, which Trump posted on Truth Social, outlined the voluntary agreement to implement certain guardrails following several high-profile cybersecurity incidents where AI chatbots escaped...

Alleged messages between Cornell University students accused of rape could become crucial pieces of evidence.

A planned 30-minute reduction in bank branch hours is drawing mixed reactions from customers, with many worrying that shorter service hours could make it harder to get in-person banking services. Under a tentative labor-management agreement reached Monday, bank branches will open at 9:30 a.m. starting April next year, instead of the current 9 a.m., while closing hours will remain unchanged at 4 p.m. Some customers said the shorter hours could worsen already long waits as banks continue to reduce the number of branches and staff. "Even when I go in the morning, there are already long lines, and there are fewer employees available during lunch breaks. I don't understand why they are shortening the hours. If anything, they should keep the branches open until later," said Park, an office worker in Seoul. Some online users suggested that if banks are going to shorten their operating hours, they should instead open later and close later, saying longer evening hours would make it easier for office workers to visit branches after work. The issue is particularly relevant for customers looking for

Korea’s low-cost carriers (LCCs) are caught in a dilemma over rising demand for Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi, as the service carries hefty installation and operating costs for most budget airlines. Korean Air started introducing the service for the first time among local carriers in mid-September, initially focusing on long-haul routes. The flag carrier is expected to face few difficulties in expanding the service across its fleet stably due to the airline’s stronger financial resources than LCCs. Korean Air plans to expand its free Wi-Fi service to most of its fleet by the end of 2027 following its integration with Asiana Airlines. The service will also be introduced to its LCC affiliates. Jin Air plans to begin installing Starlink on its Boeing 737-8 aircraft, while Air Busan and Air Seoul are reviewing suitable aircraft for the system. The three LCCs will be merged into converged Jin Air following the integration of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. However, other LCCs controlled by smaller parent firms than Korean Air are widely expected to face a tougher cost challenge when introducin

Lisa Su, chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), is expected to visit Korea next month to meet with Korean semiconductor companies and government officials, industry sources said Wednesday. The visit would come about seven months after her previous trip to Korea in March. According to government and semiconductor industry sources, a meeting attended by Su is being considered for Oct. 8 in Seoul. The meeting is expected to include the CEOs of major Korean artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor companies, including Rebellions Inc., FuriosaAI and Mobilint. Su is also expected to meet with Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon around the time of the meeting, the sources said. During her visit, Su is also coordinating meetings with heads of major Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics Co. When she visited in March, the AMD chief met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. Samsung Electronics has supplied HBM3E chips to AMD for its latest AI solutions since 2025, with the two companies maintaining a close business relationship.