OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon...
Geostrategy
Billionaire Ronaldo tops Forbes footballer rich list again
Paris, France -- Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo once again topped the Forbes highest-paid footballers list for the 2025-26 season, as...
Business
Geostrategy
Spain to increase UNRWA funding after donors suspend aid
MADRID, SPAIN - Spain said on Monday that it would give an additional US$$3.8 million (3.5 million euros) in aid to...
- Over a dozen countries, including the US, Germany, Britain and Sweden, have suspended their funding to UNRWA.
- There are accusations that 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas.
Economy
Turkey’s inflation 65% in Jan, piles pressure on central bank
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey's annual inflation rate stayed stable in January at nearly 65 percent, but month-on-month consumer price increases jumped...
- The year-on-year inflation rate moved to 64.86 percent -- up a notch from 64.77 percent in December, the TUIK statistics agency reported
- The monthly inflation rate in January climbed to 6.7 percent, from 2.9 percent in December, following a 49-percent rise in the minimum wage in January
Business
European markets surge as US jobs data batter rate cut hopes
"The markets continue to forge ahead despite a blowout jobs report from the US last Friday which seems to have...
- Fed policymakers had left traders disappointed last week when they said after a meeting that they were unlikely to loosen policy at their next gathering.
- Most of Asia struggled again, however, with Hong Kong and Shanghai extending a sell-off fueled by growing concerns about the Chinese economy
Geostrategy
Gaza situation ‘indescribable’ as Blinken starts another Mideast tour
On his fifth trip to the region since the war broke out, Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and mediators...
- At least 128 people were killed in Israeli strikes overnight to Monday, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
- UN chief Antonio Guterres announced the creation of a panel to assess UNRWA and "whether the agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality".
Geostrategy
Iran starts construction on new 10MW nuclear research reactor
Tehran, Iran -- Iran said Monday it had started building a new nuclear research reactor in Isfahan, days after it announced...
- The new 10-megawatt research reactor is being constructed to create a powerful neutron source, IRNA said.
- It would have a variety of applications, including fuel and nuclear material tests and the production of industrial radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, it said.
Business
Boeing spots new ‘problems’ in 737
The fuselage problems could slow down deliveries.
- Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Stan Deal said, "This past Thursday, a supplier notified us of a non-conformance in some 737 fuselages"
- Deal said employees offered suggestions on more than 1,000 improvements since a series of training events following the January 5 incident
Business
Societe Generale to slash 900 jobs
The bank employs 117,500 people around the globe.
- The bank said that five percent of its head office staff would be cut as part of organizational changes
- The slashing will be carried out "through internal transfers, end-of-year support or voluntary departures"
Geostrategy
Russian president to make ‘imminent’ visit to Turkey
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has managed to maintain trade and political relations with both Ukraine and Russia, allowing Russia...
- Turkey's media have mentioned February 12 as a likely date of Putin's visit
- The war in Gaza, energy, Black Sea trade routes and Syria will likely be discussed
Paris Olympics’ organizers worry heatwave can spell trouble for games
A new study presenting "climate simulations to anticipate worst-case heatwaves during the Paris 2024 Olympics" has focused minds after it...
- Organizers of the Paris Olympics, which will run from July 26 to August 11, say they are "fully aware" of the climate-related risks to the Games
- Operational teams have run simulations looking at the consequences of shifting some outdoor events to earlier or later start times to avoid the heat
Geostrategy
Blinken to arrive in Middle East to press for truce
The US secretary of state is expected to discuss a proposed truce hammered out in a Paris meeting in January...
- The US top diplomat is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and Qatar
- He stressed the need for urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza
Most Read
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
OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon...
Geostrategy
Company News
Israel not part of Gaza food aid plan: envoy
Geostrategy
Latest News
US says new foundation to spearhead Gaza aid
Geostrategy
Trump metal tariffs wreak havoc on US factory
Belcamp, United States -- In the sweltering US summer, metal containers decorated with snowmen and sleighs are taking shape --...
Business
Indonesia begins $5.9 bn EV battery project despite environment fears
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesia broke ground Sunday on a $5.9 billion megaproject for EV battery production backed by Chinese giant...
Business
Star-studded Al-Hilal defense highlights Saudi club’s rise
Miami, United States -- The main appeal of the Club World Cup so far has been the chance to see...
Arts & Culture
Most Read
Geostrategy
Israeli forces kill 37 Gazans, including nine children, some of them waiting for food aid
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 35 people were killed in seven Israeli drone and air strikes in various locations,...
- He said the dead included three children who were killed in an air strike on a home in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
- Bassal said at least six more children died in a neighborhood in the northeast of Gaza City, including some in an air strike near a school where displaced people were sheltering.
Geostrategy
Morocco’s Atlantic gambit: linking restive Sahel to ocean
Dubai, UAE -- A planned trade corridor linking the landlocked Sahel to the Atlantic is at the heart of an...
- The "Atlantic Initiative" promises ocean access to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger through a new $1.3-billion port in the former Spanish colony.
- The Moroccan initiative aims to "substantially transform the economy of these countries" and "the region", said King Mohammed VI when announcing it in late 2023.
Research
AI is learning to lie, scheme, and threaten its creators
In one particularly jarring example, under threat of being unplugged, Anthropic's latest creation Claude 4 lashed back by blackmailing an...
- Meanwhile, ChatGPT-creator OpenAI's o1 tried to download itself onto external servers and denied it when caught red-handed.
- For now, this deceptive behavior only emerges when researchers deliberately stress-test the models with extreme scenarios.