BELGRADE, Serbia — A key vote for control of Serbia’s capital, Belgrade — a focal point of widespread fraud reports after last December elections — is to be rerun later this year, officials said Sunday. The announcement follows months of soaring political tensions over claims that the ruling populists of President Aleksandar Vucic orchestrated a … Read more
DAKAR, Senegal — Gueva Ba tried to reach Europe by boat 11 times from Morocco, failing each attempt. Then, in 2023, the former welder heard about a new route to the United States by flying to Nicaragua and making the rest of the journey illegally by land to Mexico’s northern border. “In Senegal, it’s all … Read more
Inspired Capital is celebrating its fifth birthday with the closing of its Inspired Capital Fund III with $330M in capital commitments. This new amount brings the firm’s total assets under management to nearly $900 million. The New York-based early-stage venture firm was founded in 2019 by entrepreneurs Alexa von Tobel and Penny Pritzker. They went … Read more
WARSAW, Poland — Thousands of farmers marched in Poland’s capital and Spanish farmers cut off traffic on highways near the French border on Tuesday in the latest protests against food imports from Ukraine and the European Union’s agricultural policies. The actions follow similar protests across Europe in recent weeks, and come as the West is … Read more
The adoption of open banking and instant payments is moving slowly in the United States compared to other markets around the world, for example, Brazil. That said, the new program FedNow went live in July 2023, and data-sharing regulations are forthcoming, so more potential is on the horizon. Until then, the co-founders of Zūm Rails … Read more
Capital One CEO and Chairman, Richard Fairbank. Marvin Joseph| The Washington Post | Getty Images Capital One’s recently announced $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover Financial isn’t just about getting bigger — gaining “scale” in Wall Street-speak — it’s a bid to protect itself against a rising tide of fintech and regulatory threats. It’s a chess … Read more
Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Capital One Financial is set to acquire Discover Financial Services, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The deal could be announced Tuesday, the outlet said, citing sources. The merger of the two companies, who are among the largest credit card issuers in the U.S., would … Read more
While the food tech investment sector figured itself out last year, Miruku, a New Zealand-based food tech company, was busy getting ahead of molecular farming technology. That proactive strategy put the company about “three to four years ahead of emerging competitors,” CEO Amos Palfreyman told TechCrunch. “Miruku has not only aimed to navigate the challenges … Read more
ATHENS, Greece — More than 1,500 protesters gathered in central Athens on Sunday to oppose legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in Greece. The bill is set for a vote in parliament in days. Greece’s conservative government is sponsoring the bill but it will require votes from center and left opposition parties to be approved. … Read more
KINSHASA, Congo — At least 18 people were killed Friday when the bus they were traveling on collided with a truck in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, authorities said. The bus collided with the truck as it tried to make a turn along a highway leading to the N’Djili International Airport, said Anaddolu Nganga, mayor … Read more