President Putin Envisions a Worldwide Payments System Based on Blockchain Technology

Dec 5, 2022

While speaking at a recent international machine learning and artificial intelligence conference, Vladmir Putin, the president of Russia, revealed that he envisioned a future in which there existed a worldwide payments system leveraging blockchain technology and other new technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

In the eyes of the Russian president, such a global system would be free from control by the major powers or countries in the world. The issue of decentralized control aside, Putin also recognized that implementing a system of that nature would yield additional benefits such as improved efficiency and…

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Human rights groups criticize uncontested election of 15 countries to top UN human rights body

UNITED NATIONS — Human rights groups sharply criticized Tuesday's uncontested election of 15 members of the United Nations’ premier human rights body, saying it resulted in countries with poor rights records winning seats. Positions on the 47-nation Human Rights Council are allocated to the U.N.’s regional groups to ensure geographical representation. And for the second year in a row, all regional groups put forward the exact number of candidates for available seats for the three-year term. This meant that in Tuesday’s election in the 193-member General Assembly there were no competitive races. “This uncompetitive vote makes a mockery of the word ‘election,’” said Louis Charbonneau, U.N. director at Human Rights Watch. “No one should have a seat on this crucial body handed to them on a silver platter.” He called on U.N. member nations to “insist on competitive slates so they can reject candidates with poor human rights records.” In Tuesday’s vote, the Africa group’s Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Burundi were elected. The Asia-Pacific group’s Kuwait, Nepal, Jord

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US to drop S. Korea intelligence case against ex-CIA analyst

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India's 'cockroach' movement leaders detained in jail for five days, party and police say

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ASML's strong orders ease fears AI spending boom is running out of steam

ASML said on Wednesday customers were already looking to place orders for its advanced chipmaking tools for 2029 and 2030, easing concerns that the artificial intelligence investment boom was losing momentum. The upbeat outlook from the Dutch company, the biggest maker of tools used to make AI chips and advanced semiconductors, signals that chipmakers are continuing to expand well into the future, easing concerns among investors that the surge in AI-related spending could be nearing a peak. Demand for the company's machines has been fuelled by the AI boom, with customers including TSMC — which manufactures chips for Nvidia — as well as Samsung, Intel and others investing heavily to increase chip production. Shares in ASML, Europe's largest firm by market valuation at some €586 billion, were up 2 percent on Wednesday, having risen almost 70 percent so far this year. "There were concerns that the AI trade was running out of steam," said Gordon Kerr, European macro strategist at KBRA, adding ASML's results showed "demand for chips remains strong, and infrastructure spending is likely

Russia targeting energy sites despite Trump’s ceasefire, Ukraine says

Oct 14, 2026

President Putin Envisions a Worldwide Payments System Based on Blockchain Technology

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Trump administration cuts refugees' deadline to contest status termination, raising fears

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