Celebrities, AI giants urge end to quest for superintelligence capable of outsmarting humans
Signatories include the "Godfather of AI" and 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Geoffrey Hinton; Computer Sciences Professor...
Science
Gold falls again as rally comes to halt, Asian markets drop
Gold and silver tumbled for a second day Wednesday, bringing a rally in the precious metals to a juddering halt,...
Economy
Business
Chevron $53bn Hess deal in danger
Rivals' challenge to the control of a key oil asset can derail the acquisition.
- The issue concerns Hess's 30 percent stake in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, a mammoth oilfield that was a driver of the takeover.
- Stabroek is operated by US giant ExxonMobil, which has a 45 percent stake. Chinese company Cnooc holds the remaining 25 percent of the project.
Geostrategy
WTO approves services trade rules, overcoming objections
The set of rules will streamline authorization requirements and ease procedural hurdles faced by businesses, according to a press release....
- Its integration into the WTO implies all 164 members have approved as per the body's rules which require full consensus.
- Ministers' negotiations also focused on fisheries and agriculture, but progress could be made on a new global agreement on fisheries subsidies.
Arts & Culture
Museum in West Bank displays Gaza’s ‘artistic demonstration’ against war
BIRZEIT, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES – At a museum in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gazan works on display are proclaimed to be an...
- Alongside contemporary pieces, the works include old, traditional paintings and costumes, as well as archeological artifacts.
- Gaza's bloodiest war has devastated the small Hamas-ruled coastal territory, with its cultural heritage just one of the many casualties of war.
Business
Robot dogs and flying cars: mobile gadget highlights
US firm Alef Aeronautics displayed to the public for the first time the working model of what it says is...
- Chinese firm Tecno Mobile showed off a robotic dog inspired by the German Shepherd which uses AI and powerful sensors to understand voice commands.
- Dutch startup Whispp demonstrated a calling app which uses AI technology to covert impaired speech due to conditions such as throat cancer.
Geostrategy
Hizbollah fires new barrage of rockets at Israeli air base
Beirut, Lebanon--Lebanon's Hizbollah said it launched a salvo of rockets at an Israeli air control base on Tuesday in retaliation for...
- The Lebanese armed group said it targeted the "Meron air control base... with a large salvo of rockets from several launchers"
- Hizbollah's rocket assault was sparked off after Israel struck Hizbollah targets near the city of Baalbek, killing two of its fighters
US welcomes Palestinian Authority reform after PM quits
The Palestinian leadership has been divided since 2007, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited power in the West Bank. Blinken...
- "We do welcome steps for the PA to reform and revitalize itself," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, using the Palestinian Authority's initials
- State Department spokesman declined to comment directly on the resignation of prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, saying it was an internal matter for Palestinians
Business
Rat on a plane sparks worries for Sri Lanka’s airline
Colombo, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's national airline on Tuesday blamed a rat for grounding a plane for three days, sparking...
- The stowaway rodent was spotted enjoying the SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330 flight from the Pakistani city of Lahore on Thursday
- An airline official said the plane has now resumed flights, but that the grounding had a knock-on effect on the entire schedule
Geostrategy
US targets Houthi vessels, missiles in latest attack
Yemen's Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated US and British strikes aimed...
- US forces destroyed surface vessels, anti-ship cruise missiles, and an aerial vehicle
- Over the weekend, US and British forces carried out strikes against 18 Houthi targets
Geostrategy
Gaza ceasefire could start by next Monday: Joe Biden
A deal between Hamas and Israel could include the exchange of dozens of hostages for several hundred Palestinian civilians held...
- Biden said in New York that "we're close, we're close, we're not done yet"
- An unnamed Israeli official told news site Ynet the "direction (of the talks) is positive"
Geostrategy
Hizbollah fires rockets after deadly Israeli strikes on east Lebanon
Hizbollah announced several other attacks on Israeli sites and troops on Monday, with local media also reporting Israeli strikes on...
- The Israeli army told AFP that "dozens of rockets" had been launched from Lebanon but there were no immediate reports of casualties
- Earlier Israel targeted Hizbollah "aerial defence" sites in retaliation for the group's downing one of its drones in south Lebanon
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Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Celebrities, AI giants urge end to quest for superintelligence capable of outsmarting humans
Signatories include the "Godfather of AI" and 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Geoffrey Hinton; Computer Sciences Professor...
Science
Company News
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Macron calls on EU to ‘defend European interests’ in US tariff talks
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday condemned US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 30-percent tariffs on the European Union,...
Economy
Iran says cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog will take ‘new form’
Iran has blamed the IAEA in part for the June attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Israel says it launched...
Geostrategy
Fuel to Air India jet engines cut off moments before crash: probe
New Delhi, India - Fuel control switches to the engines of an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff,...
Analysis
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Geostrategy
Israel’s aid blockade leaves Gaza’s pregnant women hungry and at risk
Like most women at the Gaza City hospital where she attends her pregnancy check-ups, Fatima Arafa's face looks fatigued, a...
- With the war in Gaza now in its 22nd month and Israel only slightly easing an aid blockade, shortages of everything from food to clean water have hit pregnant women
- "I am in my sixth month and I can't provide the basic minimum needs to complete this pregnancy," Arafa told AFP before returning to the makeshift camp
Geostrategy
Released pro-Palestinian protest leader sues Trump for $20 mn
Mahmoud Khalil, one of the most prominent leaders of US pro-Palestinian campus protests, sued the Trump administration Thursday for $20...
- Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, had been in custody following his arrest in March
- The 30-year-old was freed from a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana last month, hours after a judge ordered his release on bail
Geostrategy
Two months after ending struggle against Turkey, Kurdish PKK fighters to begin disarming at key ceremony
Founded in the late 1970s by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK took up arms in 1984, beginning a string of bloody...
- The disarmament ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics
- The disarmament ceremony marks a turning point in the transition of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from armed insurgency to democratic politics