Posts by Nathan Pine
HSBC is bullish on 2025 despite hit from Madoff provision
[LONDON] HSBC Holdings raised its profitability outlook for 2025 even as earnings slid following an unexpected US$1.1 billion provision tied to Bernard Madoff’s giant fraud case more than a decade ago. Pretax profit for the third-quarter fell 14 per cent to US$7.3 billion as litigation expenses blunted rising earnings from its key wealth management business,…
Read MoreIndonesia to allow central government to lend to local authorities and state companies
[JAKARTA] Indonesia has drawn up new rules that will allow the central government to lend to local authorities and state-owned enterprises in order to support the country’s development projects. According to a copy of the new regulation, signed last month but made public this week, such loans could be granted after taking into account potential…
Read MoreBanks initially not told of power plant to prevent information leak, court told
It was kept from lenders to protect company’s strategy from rivals, Olivia Lum’s counsel says [SINGAPORE] Hyflux had initially withheld from bank lenders certain information about the Tuaspring project, including a power plant, to protect its strategy from rivals, the lawyer defending Olivia Lum said. Jeanne Soh, managing director for structured finance in the Asia-Pacific…
Read MoreJon Stewart Rings The Alarm Amid Trump Saying He’d “Love To” Run For Third Term: “He Already Has The Merch”
Jon Stewart takes no prisoners during his satirical political commentary on The Daily Show, especially during tonight’s episode as he rang the alarm on President Donald Trump‘s flirtation with a third term that would skirt constitutionality. Faking emotionality, the political comic spent the majority of his first segment cracking sarcastic jokes about how ungrateful the…
Read MoreAsia: Markets cool as Trump begins Japan visit
The buoyant mood has been defying tumultuous trade tensions between Beijing and Washington [HONG KONG] Asian markets opened slightly cooler on Tuesday (Oct 28) as traders kept an eye on US President Donald Trump’s visit to Asian ally Japan ahead of high-stakes talks with China’s Xi Jinping later this week. The US president is due…
Read MoreJapan Set As 2026 Country Of Honor At Cannes Marché Du Film
The Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film has unveiled Japan as the Country of Honour for its 2026 edition next May. The Marché du Film’s Executive Director Guillaume Esmiol officially announced the choice at the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) on Tuesday, alongside Junichi Sakomoto, Chair of the Executive Committee for Japan, Country of Honour…
Read More‘DWTS’ Star Jen Affleck Defends Dance Partner Jan Ravnik After Alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy Says He “Has Absolutely No Business Being A Pro”
Dancing with the Stars competitor Jen Affleck rushed to the defense of her pro dance partner Jan Ravnik after the latter was slammed by alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who alleged the former Taylor Swift backup dancer had “no business” being on the show. Chmerkovskiy, who was on the show for 17 seasons prior to his departure…
Read MoreParamount to ax 1,000 jobs Wednesday in first round of cuts
[LOS ANGELES] Paramount Skydance will begin a major round of layoffs with 1,000 job cuts on Wednesday (Oct 29), according to a source familiar with the company’s plans. A second round is expected later, said the source, who asked to not be identified discussing private information. The number of total expected layoffs has previously been…
Read MoreMike Fleming Jr: How The Battle For ‘Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan Was Won, And Lost
EXCLUSIVE: At the end of the day, NBCUniversal’s poach of Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan came down to money. Sources said that the five-year deal that begins in 2029 (earlier for movies) is at the unprecedented $1 billion territory. That is how it will work out in creator/EP and writer fees and backend, if the prolific…
Read MoreJustin Bieber Looks So Different Without Beard During World Series 2025 Date With Hailey Bieber
Does Hailey Bieber Want More Kids With Justin Bieber? She Says… Fans of Justin Bieber‘s facial hair will have to settle for the ghost of that look. Two days after revealing he shaved off his beard while attending a Dijon concert in San Diego, the “Daisies” singer provided a closer look at his new clean-shaven…
Read More‘Fresh Prince’ Alum Janet Hubert & ‘Power: Ghost’s Caroline Chikezie To Guest Star In ‘Bel-Air’s Final Season
EXCLUSIVE: The fourth and final season of Peacock‘s Bel-Air will welcome Janet Hubert (Demascus, Sweet Magnolia), who played the original Aunt Viv in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, becoming the sixth OG cast member to appear in the reimagination. Additionally, Caroline Chikezie (Power Book II: Ghost) will also guest star. Season 4 premieres on Monday,…
Read MoreSimu Liu Says Replacing Background Actors With AI Is “So Antithetical” To His Own Career Development, Argues “Art Is Art Because It’s Human”
Simu Liu isn’t on board with using AI to replace actors, including and especially background performers. Recently, the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor pushed back on a take from Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary, who posited that replacing extras with artificial intelligence could bring down bloated production budgets on many films, including…
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