LONDON (Reuters) -Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Britain’s COVID inquiry on Thursday that any suggestion he wanted to allow the virus to “let rip” was “rubbish” and “completely wrong”. Johnson, prime minister between 2019 and 2022, faced a second day of questioning which examined the weeks before the country’s …

(Reuters) – Alphabet surged 5% on Thursday as Wall Street cheered the launch of Gemini, saying the new artificial intelligence model could help narrow the gap in a race with Microsoft-backed OpenAI. Long considered a leader in AI research, Alphabet lost the spotlight when OpenAI’s ChatGPT swept the tech landscape …

PUTRAJAYA: There are still many Malaysians who fallen victim to job scam syndicates abroad, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (pic). Without disclosing the number of victims, he said most of those caught up in the employment fraud syndicates were deceived by advertisements offered on social media and …

BERLIN (Reuters) – The German government will not be able to finalise its 2024 budget before the end of the year, a senior ruling party official said on Thursday, as a fractious coalition tries to narrow differences on fixing a budget hole. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way alliance is reeling from …

GENEVA (Reuters) – Western states should enact policies to prevent asylum seekers embarking on dangerous routes, the U.N. refugee chief said on Thursday, as the number of migrants through the Darien Gap this year tops half a million people. Conflicts, poverty and climate change have driven a record 114 million …

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Top Indian banks and non-bank lenders have asked their fintech partners to curtail issuing tiny personal loans, three banking and one industry source said on Thursday, weeks after the central bank clamped down on the fast-growing business. Paytm plans to go slow on sub-50,000-rupee-loans (about $600), it …

LONDON (Reuters) – Formula One, governing FIA and a rebranded Extreme H series announced on Thursday they were setting up a joint hydrogen working group to evaluate the technology’s future use in motorsport. Extreme H will be the new name of the existing Extreme E electric off-road series which plans …

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Denmark’s parliament passed a bill on Thursday that makes it illegal to burn copies of the Koran in public places, after protests in Muslim nations over the desecration of Islam’s holy book raised Danish security concerns. Denmark and Sweden experienced a series of public protests this year where …

LABUAN: The Federal Government will focus on resolving basic infrastructure issues involving the people instead of implementing major development projects which can be deferred, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said the proposed construction of a RM6bil bridge to link Labuan with mainland Sabah was not a priority …

LONDON (Reuters) – Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who had said he wanted to challenge Vladimir Putin in a presidential election in March, had his detention extended for six months on Thursday as he awaits trial on charges of inciting extremism. The ruling, announced by a Moscow court, extinguishes the already …