Cambridge study warns of perils in AI-driven ‘intention economy’
London, United Kingdom -- Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) tools may soon "covertly influence" users' decision making in a new commercial frontier...
Business
Egypt tests Suez Canal extension aimed at boosting vessel capacity
Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt has tested a new 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) extension to the Suez Canal as it tries to minimize the...
Business
Geostrategy
Yemen’s Houthis blew up stranded oil tanker: video
Rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Thursday said his forces had "stormed" the tanker earlier this week. He added in...
- The group's leader said the operation took place earlier this week. Since then, the rebels have agreed to allow rescue teams to access the ship
- A video shared on the rebels' media outlets showed masked men planting explosives on the vessel and then detonating them, causing several fires on board
Business
Apple in talks to invest in OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT: report
Washington, United States - iPhone juggernaut Apple is in talks to invest in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and the biggest...
- The company founded by Steve Jobs is at the funding table as OpenAI raises more money to help meet the heavy costs of building new technology
- Reports said that OpenAI is in talks to reach a valuation of $100 billion in the funding round led by venture capital firm Thrive Capital, which will pump in one billion dollars
Geostrategy
Telegram boss Durov free but charged and held in France
Paris, France -- Telegram chief Pavel Durov was spending Thursday out on bail after four days of detention in France, banned...
- Durov, 39, was charged on several counts of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app which now has over 900 million followers.
- He was granted conditional release on a bail of five million euros and on the condition he must report to a police station twice a week as well as remaining in France.
Geostrategy
Israel agrees ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza to allow polio vaccinations
"The way we discussed and agreed, the campaign will start on the first of September, in central Gaza, for three...
- The vaccination rollout will also cover southern and northern Gaza, which will each get their own three-day pauses, Peeperkorn told reporters.
- UN agencies have said they plan to provide oral vaccines against type-2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) to more than 640,000 children in the territory.
Business
Durov: Father of 100 children is a mysterious and controversial Telegram founder
Paris, France - Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov has founded wildly popular social networks, cryptocurrencies, amassed a multi-billion-dollar fortune and locked...
- Durov, 39, who preaches the virtues of ice baths for health and has fathered 100 children through sperm donations, is a controversial as well as enigmatic figure
- A self-avowed libertarian, Durov has championed confidentiality on the internet and freedom of speech, defiantly refusing to allow the moderation of messages on Telegram
Geostrategy
Yemen’s Houthis agree to temporary truce to secure stranded oil tanker
The vessel had departed from Iraq and was destined for a port near Athens, carrying 150,000 metric tons of crude...
- The Greek-owned Sounion was hit by the Tehran-backed group off the coast of Hodeida last week, sparking fires and the evacuation of its crew
- In a statement, the Houthis previously said the Sounion "belongs to a company that has ties with the Israeli enemy" and was "accurately and directly hit" with drones and missiles
Business
Investors hold breath as Nvidia earnings loom, stock markets subdued
Paris, France -- US shares fell marginally and European stock markets mostly inched higher Wednesday as investors cautiously awaited the latest...
- Traders are also waiting for key US economic data later this week that could provide clues about the size of an expected interest-rate cut next month.
- In New York, the main indexes were all down slightly shortly after opening. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 Index was lower, while Paris and Frankfurt were higher.
Geostrategy
SpaceX postpones historic mission featuring first private spacewalk
United States -- SpaceX postponed once more its attempt at launching a daring orbital expedition featuring an all-civilian crew that...
- SpaceX announced late Tuesday it was pushing back the launch plans "due to unfavorable weather forecasted in Dragon's splashdown areas off the coast of Florida".
- SpaceX Dragon capsule is set to reach a peak altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) -- higher than any crewed mission in more than half a century, since the Apollo era.
Geostrategy
Turkey, Azerbaijan hope for ‘lasting peace’ in South Caucasus
Years of diplomacy between the Caucasus rivals Azerbaijan and Armenia had failed to reach a breakthrough, but negotiations have resumed...
- Top diplomats from Turkey and Azerbaijan held talks in the capital Ankara on several sticking issues including ongoing peace negotiations between Baku and Yerevan
- The Caucasus rivals fought two wars -- in the 1990s and in 2020 -- over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians
Iran former top diplomat Zarif returns to VP post
"After the follow-ups and consultations conducted by the president and with his written order, I will continue to exercise my...
- Pezeshkian named Zarif as his vice president for strategic affairs on August 1, but the former top diplomat resigned less than two weeks later
- Conservatives in Iran have criticised Pezeshkian for choosing Zarif, who became known for his vital role in negotiating the landmark 2015 nuclear deal
Cambridge study warns of perils in AI-driven ‘intention economy’
London, United Kingdom -- Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) tools may soon "covertly influence" users' decision making in a new commercial frontier...
Business
Company News
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire call at UN
Geostrategy
Latest News
Turkish-backed jihadists breach Aleppo, displacing thousands and cutting vital highway to Damascus
By Friday, the jihadists and their allies had taken more than 50 towns and villages in the north and entered...
Trump threatens 100% tariff on BRICS countries over currency plans
Washington, United States - President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on the BRICS group nations...
Iran-Europe nuclear talks on as global tensions escalate ahead of Trump’s return
The stakes were laid bare in a warning from Britain's foreign intelligence chief that Iran's nuclear ambitions posed a major...
Geostrategy
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Arts & Culture
Crypto boss Justin Sun eats banana art he bought for $6.2 million
Hong Kong, China -- Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Friday fulfilled a promise he made after spending $6.2 million on an...
- Titled "Comedian", the conceptual work created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York last week, with Sun among seven bidders.
- Sun this week also became an advisor to World Liberty Financial, a crypto initiative backed by US president-elect Donald Trump, following a $30 million investment.
Saudi Arabia hosts UN talks on drought, desertification
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia will host the COP16 UN conference on land degradation and desertification next week as the...
- The subject of desertification is close to home for the Gulf kingdom, which has one of the biggest deserts on the planet
- Land degradation disrupts ecosystems and makes land less productive for agriculture, leading to food shortages and spurring migration
Israel PM again warns Iran after top diplomat talks of revising nuclear doctrine if more sanctions imposed
The renewed war of words between the Middle East foes came as Iran prepares to hold key nuclear talks with...
- Israel is the region's sole, if undeclared, nuclear-armed state, and it has long made preventing any rival from matching it its top defence priority
- Netanyahu said that the ceasefire that went into effect in Lebanon the following day would allow Israel to focus on Iran, but he did not elaborate on what action he envisaged