By 2026, Chinese EV Manufacturer Xpeng Hopes To Launch Its First Flying Vehicle

The co-president of Xpeng AeroHT, an affiliate of Xpeng, said in an interview on Friday that the company hopes to deliver its flying automobile to consumers in 2026. The Land Aircraft Carrier, a large truck with an electric two-seater passenger drone inside, was unveiled by Xpeng AeroHT last year. After the flying vehicle and truck…

China’s Spending Declines With Disappointing Retail Sales And Investment Data

China released statistics on Friday that suggested stronger industrial activity but weaker consumer growth. April retail sales up 2.3% over the same month last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That was less than the 3.1% rate recorded in March and less than the 3.8% gain predicted by a Reuters poll. April’s industrial…

Deal Between Microsoft And Mistral Manages To Avert Merger Investigation By British Regulators

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority had earlier sought opinions on whether Microsoft’s AI relationship with Mistral qualified as a merger before finding no regulatory objections to the partnership. The transaction “does not qualify for investigation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002,” the CMA stated in a brief statement on Friday. Microsoft…

Hundreds Of AI Employees At Microsoft In China Are Offered Migration Amid Tech Tensions Between US And China

Microsoft has allegedly encouraged China-based cloud computing and artificial intelligence operations personnel to consider migrating out of the country, as Washington pushes down on Beijing’s access to the advanced technology. The Wall Street Journal published the story on Thursday, citing unidentified sources to claim that the employees, who were primarily Chinese engineers, had been given…

UN Specialists Claim North Korea Laundered $147.5 Million In Cryptocurrency That Was Taken In March

According to private work by UN sanctions monitors reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday, North Korea laundered $147.5 million through virtual currency platform Tornado Cash in March after obtaining it from a cryptocurrency exchange last year. In a paper sent in on Friday, the monitors informed the sanctions committee of the U.N. Security Council that they…

According To An Australian Regulator, Internet Legislation Shouldn’t Be Limited By Musk’s X

At a hearing examining a video of a bishop being stabbed, an attorney for the cyber regulator stated that while Elon Musk’s X has rules to remove dangerous content when it so chooses, it shouldn’t be able to disregard Australian law in determining what may be watched there. An eSafety Commissioner decision to erase 65…

Shell Beats Estimates With A Quarterly Profit Of $7.7 Billion

Shell revealed a $7.7 billion first-quarter profit, significantly above analysts’ projections following interruptions in the Red Sea and Russia that boosted oil trading and refining. The business said that it will repurchase an additional $3.5 billion of its shares at a rate comparable to that of the previous quarter over the course of the following…

Shein, The Fast-Fashion Powerhouse, Wants To Sell Cosmetics, Toothpaste, And Toys

Shein, an online fast-fashion retailer, is pursuing brands such as toothpaste firm Colgate-Palmolive and toymaker Hasbro in an effort to sell more familiar names through its platform. Shein, best known for its low-cost own-brand apparel and accessories, is expanding into new categories and has already allowed brands and retailers access to its platform in nine…

Pfizer’s First Gene Treatment For A Rare Genetic Bleeding Condition Gets Approved By The FDA

The uncommon genetic bleeding condition treatment developed by Pfizer was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, marking the company’s first clearance for gene therapy in the United States. The medication, which will be sold under the brand name Beqvez, was approved by the agency for use in people with moderate to severe…