LOS ANGELES — Amid Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney alleging violation of her “Black Widow” contract that stipulated an exclusive theatrical release, the company’s chief executive officer Bob Chapek has defended its hybrid film-release model, saying the decision for distribution is made on a “film-by-film” basis. Chapek spoke about the dual releases of films in movie theaters […]

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Social media platforms reward users for expressing moral outrage with higher engagement in terms of “likes” and “shares” to their posts, which encourages people online to amplify such activity, new research has found. A team of researchers at Yale University measured the expression of moral outrage on Twitter during real-life controversial events and […]

TÉNÈS, Algeria — Smail Merni, a 27-year-old from the small coastal town of Tenes, west Algeria, always dreamt of searching for work in Europe. On the evening of May 26, he realized his dream—albeit illegally. “We were 12 people, including two women and a nine-year-old child, when we took a small makeshift boat we had bought […]

NEW DELHI — Multinational professional services firm PwC India on Aug. 11 unveiled a new approach in how the firm sees new opportunities to serve clients in the country as they work to build trust and deliver sustained business outcomes to their stakeholders. As part of the India commitments, PwC in the next five years will […]

SINGAPORE — Banks’ asset risks will rise in most parts of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India as the region battles new waves of coronavirus infections amid low vaccination rates, credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service said on Aug. 11. Multiple rounds of coronavirus outbreaks that led to strict containment measures will impede economic recovery […]

From dishwashers to cooks, the restaurant industry is facing a new challenge: lack of staff. When COVID-19 forced restaurants to close, “many workers saw the opportunity to maintain an income working in construction or food production, which did not stop,” said Pablo César Reyes, a chef at Navy Pier’s Offshore Rooftop & Bar in Chicago. Reyes […]

WASHINGTON — Whether it’s the fabrication of semiconductors or solar panels, mining of critical minerals, or even allegations of human-rights abuse, business and governments around the world are taking a hard look at their supply chains. Changes are coming, with some industries feeling the most pressure to secure their materials, and corporations preparing for the impacts […]

TORONTO — The extradition process against Huawei Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou could not be any fairer, Crown attorney Robert Frater said to a British Columbia Supreme Court judge, rejecting the defense’s appeal to end the proceedings. The final arguments in the nearly 19-month extradition process against the Huawei executive continued on Aug. 10. Meng, […]

NEW DELHI — The Indian government’s decision to away with retrospective taxation will strengthen the trust between the government and the industry, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Aug. 11, noting that reforms are not a compulsion but a conviction for the government.  Addressing the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Meeting 2021, the Prime Minister […]

NAIROBI, Kenya — A Chinese firm is demanding billions of shillings in pending bills that Kenya borrowed to build the $3.6 billion Standard Gauge Railway line from the coastal town of Mombasa to the capital, Nairobi. Africa Star Railway Operation Company Limited, known as Afristar, the Chinese company contracted to run the train service, has […]

NEW YORK — As the Big Apple gets ready to require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, gyms and performance venues, many New York City residents are already feeling the bite. Veronica Kwabla, who lives in Brooklyn, said she postponed dining out with friends last weekend, even though they are all vaccinated. “We didn’t think it […]