Arab League, OIC joint session urges review of Israel ties after Qatar attack
Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following...
Geostrategy
Turkey court tries case that could oust opposition leadership
Tens of thousands of people protested in Ankara ahead of a key court hearing Monday targeting Turkey's main CHP opposition...
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Geostrategy
Iran to meet Britain, France and Germany on its nuclear programme as snapback sanctions loom
The move would reimpose sweeping UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 agreement unless Iran agrees to curb its uranium enrichment...
- The Islamic republic suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in July in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel
- The European trio -- parties to the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- have threatened to trigger a "snapback mechanism" by the end of August
Business
Trump, Intel announce deal giving US a 10% stake in chipmaker
Chipmaker Intel has agreed to give the US government a 10-percent stake in its business, the company and President Donald...
- The deal came after Trump's administration said Intel should give Washington an equity stake in exchange for large grants committed when Joe Biden was president
- Under the agreement, the US government will receive 433.3 million shares of common stock, representing a 9.9 percent stake in the company, Intel said in a statement
Economy
US Fed chair opens door to rate cut as Trump steps up pressure
Last year, the Fed chair used his keynote speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium to indicate the time...
- Powell faces constant attacks from Trump -- who is aggressively pushing the independent bank for rate cuts -- alongside mixed economic data leading him towards a cautious approach.
- Powell has warned that the risks of higher inflation and a weakening jobs market add up to a "challenging situation."
Science
AI helps UK woman rediscover lost voice after 25 years
London, United Kingdom -- A British woman suffering from motor neuron disease who lost her ability to speak is once...
- Sarah Ezekiel, an artist, was left without the use of her voice after she was diagnosed at the age of 34 with MND while pregnant with her second child 25 years ago.
- AI tools developed by a New York-based ElevenLabs developed voice very close to her original, complete with her London accent.
Geostrategy
United Nations declares famine in Gaza, first ever in Middle East
Tom Fletcher, the UN's emergency relief coordinator, blamed Israel, accusing it of "systematic obstruction" of aid deliveries to the war-ravaged...
- The assessment of famine was made by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC), a coalition of monitors tasked by the UN to warn of impending crises.
- It defines famine as occurring when 20 percent of households have an extreme lack of food; 30 percent of children under five are acutely malnourished.
Economy
Less tax, more luxury: millionaires flock to Dubai for its zero income tax policy
Rich people are flocking to Dubai in record numbers, drawn to the desert city by its zero income tax policy...
- The UAE and Dubai have long welcomed wealthy people from nearby countries, and people helping millionaires to move there told AFP it is seeing more Westerners joining the fray
- The Gulf state's golden visa scheme, meant to attract wealthy or skilled foreigners, allows individuals to obtain a 10-year residence permit
Science
Google to provide Gemini AI tools to US government
Google will provide its Gemini artificial intelligence tools to US federal agencies practically free, the government announced Thursday.
- A suite of AI and cloud computing services called "Gemini for Government" from Google is intended to speed the adoption of the technology across the US government
- AI tools being provided include generation of video, images, or ideas as well as digital "agents" capable of independently tending to complex tasks
Business
Nestle unveils method to boost cocoa yields as climate change hits
Geneva, Switzerland - Faced with climate change diminishing farmers' yields, Nestle announced Wednesday that it was working on a technique...
- Chocolate is traditionally made using only cocoa beans taken from inside the pod, meaning that a large amount of the fruit, including the pulp, placenta and pod husk, is unused
- A tonne of cocoa was worth £1,900 ($2,560) on the London commodities market in January 2023, shot up to £3,800 a year later, and reached a high of over £9,000 last December
Business
‘Hell is Us’ looks to break mould of big-budget gaming
Paris, France - Developer Jonathan Jacques-Belletete has taken a gamble on forthcoming game "Hell is Us", hoping to ape the...
- "I'd had it up to here" with work on big-spending productions whose price tag can run into the hundreds of millions, the veteran of firms like Ubisoft and Eidos Montreal told AFP
- he industry has had huge difficulties in recent years" with waves of layoffs at major players like Sony and Microsoft,where smaller outfits "seem to have held up better
Arts & Culture
‘Curly is beautiful’: Tunisian women embrace natural hair
Tunis, Tunisia -- Tunisian mother Mouna Jebali had long used a flat iron to straighten her thick hair, but with...
- For generations, people around the world were told to straighten, braid, cut or otherwise conceal their curls, or else get sent home from school or work.
- A global drive buoyed by the Black Lives Matter movement gave rise to a major pandemic-era trend of beauty videos celebrating natural hair.
Arab League, OIC joint session urges review of Israel ties after Qatar attack
Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following...
Geostrategy
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Europe hyperloop test hits new speed record in Dutch trial
The Hague, Netherlands -- A Dutch tech startup said Wednesday it had set a European speed record for its futuristic...
Geostrategy
Iran, IAEA sign cooperation framework in Cairo after suspension following Israeli strikes on nuclear sites
The agreement was signed in Cairo by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi,...
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Israel forum says concerned for Gaza hostages after Doha strikes
The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza expressed "deep concern" following an Israeli attack...
- "The chance of bringing them back now faces greater uncertainty than ever before, with one thing of absolute certainty -- their time is running out," the statement said.
- Hamas and Israel have held multiple rounds of indirect ceasefire negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States throughout the nearly two-year Gaza war
Business
Stocks climb eyeing US rate cut, political turbulence
A steep downward revision to US job creation cemented expectations that the Federal Reserve would begin lowering its benchmark rate...
- US employment growth is likely to be revised down by 911,000 for the 12 months ending in March, official data showed.
- Investors are now looking to consumer inflation data coming Thursday, since a hot reading could keep the Fed from cutting further as it looks to curb price increases.
Geostrategy
Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar, the first of its kind on Qatari territory
Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted the...
- Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted the homes of several members of Hamas's political bureau
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to a Monday shooting in Jerusalem that killed six people and was later claimed by Hamas