Metro Bank CEO says Barclays among potential buyers of mortgages

BLOOMBERG Metro Bank Holdings CEO Daniel Frumkin indicated that Barclays Plc is among the possible buyers of a $3.7 billion mortgage portfolio the struggling lender put up for sale as it attempts to strengthen its balance sheet. Frumkin said the process had attracted significant interest from potential suitors including one not “dissimilar to what’s on your paycheck.”

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Plan to debut flying taxis for Paris Olympics faces engine setback

BLOOMBERG A plan to whisk passengers around Paris in air taxis during the Olympic games next year faces a new challenge after manufacturer Volocopter GmbH said the advanced electric motors it needs for its two-seater craft have been delayed. Volocopter is working with the engine maker and continues test flights with other, less-refined motors as it seeks to obtain regulatory ...

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Snap gets notice from UK watchdog on AI chatbot

BLOOMBERG The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office issued Snap Inc, the maker of the Snapchat app, with a preliminary enforcement notice over the company’s generative artificial intelligence chatbot. The notice cited Snap’s potential failure to properly assess privacy risks from its My AI chatbot, the watchdog said in a statement. If a final notice is issued, the social media platform might ...

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Google posed worries for carriers mulling new app

BLOOMBERG Wireless carriers balked at allowing Samsung Electronics Co to load its Galaxy S10 device with an app search capability that Google lacked, due to potential conflicts over their contracts with Google, a former Samsung investment adviser said at the search giant’s antitrust trial. “The carriers had concerns it cannibalised their existing search revenues,” said Patrick Chang, a former director ...

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Dell says servers, not PCs, are its main growth engine in AI era

BLOOMBERG Dell Technologies Inc, the company which helped usher in the era of personal computing, said its most promising business now is the one that sells equipment for data centers. While Dell expects PCs to emerge from their slump and generate a long-term revenue increase of about 2.5%, the division that sells servers, data storage and other office infrastructure will ...

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Oxford Economics predicts 4.4% GDP Growth for UAE in 2024

ABU DHABI / WAM Oxford Economics, an independent economic advisory firm, has predicted that the UAE economy will grow by 4.4% in 2024. This growth is being driven by a number of factors, including government initiatives to support economic diversification. In his statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Scott Livermore, Chief Economist, Oxford Economics Middle East, and Managing Director, ...

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COP28 Presidency unveils steps supporting women’s leadership in climate diplomacy

ABU DHABI / WAM The COP28 Presidency has announced measures to support the representation and participation of women at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 in th UAE. The measures include financial assistance to encourage stronger attendance of women delegates, technical training sessions, and support for an international conference. “Historically, the perspectives and leadership of women have been underrepresented in ...

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Abdullah bin Zayed, Antony Blinken discuss latest regional developments

ABU DHABI/WAM H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken discussed, during a telephone conversation, the latest developments in the region, and the ongoing escalation between Israelis and Palestinians. During the call, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah stressed the importance of exercising the utmost restraint, noting that Gaza’s escalation forebodes dire ...

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