China vows massive high-tech sector development in next decade
Beijing, China -- China will develop its high-tech sector on a massive scale in the next decade, top officials vowed...Economy Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia to host ATP Masters 1000 tennis event from 2028
Paris, France -- The ATP announced on Thursday the creation of a new Masters 1000 event which will take place...Business Geostrategy Sports
Humanoid robots embodiment of China’s AI ambitions
Shanghai, China -- Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World...The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States.
Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" -- AI agents modelled on real people.
Israel declares Gaza fighting pause amid deepening hunger crisis
Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began...There was no immediate official response from the UN or non-governmental aid agencies operating in Gaza.
And privately skeptical humanitarian sources said they were waiting to see the results on the ground of the Israeli announcement.
Urgent need for ‘global approach’ on AI regulation: UN tech chief
Geneva, Switzerland -- The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top...Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said regulation was key as concerns rise over fast-moving technology.
Bogdan-Martin, the first woman to serve as ITU secretary-general in the organization's nearly 160-year history, also stressed the need to get more women into the digital space.
Paris demands ‘explanation’ from airline over removal of Jewish teens
Paris, France - France's foreign minister has called the CEO of Spanish airline Vueling to demand an "explanation" after dozens...During an incident on Wednesday, the Spanish airline said it had asked the adolescents to leave the plane in the Spanish city of Valencia due to their "disruptive behaviour."
But parents condemned what some described as an "antisemitic act", and alleging the teenagers were forced off the plane after one of them had sung a song in Hebrew
UNRWA chief says Gaza aid airdrops will not stop ‘starvation’, solve food shortages
The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition..."Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X
An Israeli official told AFP on Friday that aid drops in Gaza would resume soon, adding they would be conducted by the United Arab Emirates and Jordan
Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to ‘contain escalation’
Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the...Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting in support of the religious minority
On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris
Trump says Hamas ‘didn’t want’ Gaza ceasefire deal as talks break down
The US president argued that the Palestinian militant group was not ready to hand over the remaining captives in Gaza...An Israeli official meanwhile told AFP air drops of aid would resume soon over the Gaza Strip, where aid groups warned of surging numbers of malnourished children
After US and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Trump said that "it was was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die."
Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 28 people
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli military operations killed at least 23 people on Friday across the Palestinian territory, with...Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed in a strike on Gaza City that hit a school building sheltering Palestinians displaced by the war
Bassal said five others were killed when an Israeli strike hit a tent used by displaced Palestinians also in Gaza City, in the territory's north
Hamas accuses US mediators of reneging on Gaza talks positions
"The negative statements of the US envoy Witkoff run completely counter to the context in which the last negotiations were...Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire have reached an impasse, more than two weeks after they began.
Naim accused Witkoff of backtracking, saying the US envoy had considered the discussions "positive" only a few days ago.
UK starts online checks to stop children accessing harmful content
London, United Kingdom -- New UK age verification measures to prevent children accessing harmful online content came into force on...Around 6,000 pornography sites have agreed to implement the curbs, according to Melanie Dawes, chief executive of British regulator Ofcom.
Around 500,000 youngsters aged eight to 14 encountered pornography online last month, according to Ofcom.
