Firms and researchers at odds over superhuman AI
The belief that human-or-better intelligence -- often called "artificial general intelligence" (AGI) -- will emerge from current machine-learning techniques fuels...Technology Geostrategy
Japan’s Masaki Kashiwara wins Abel Prize for mathematics
Oslo, Norway -- The prestigious Abel Prize for mathematics was on Wednesday awarded to Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara a specialist...Arts & Culture Geostrategy
Blinken to arrive in Qatar for strategic dialogue, World Cup
Washington, US— US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going to arrive in Doha on Monday to support Team USA...Blinken will be in Qatar between 21 and 22 November, where he is scheduled to meet senior Qatari officials
The Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, which will be held on Tuesday, is expected to address security cooperation, trade and investment, humanitarian assistance and human rights
Iran hits Kurdish groups in Iraq, second attack in week
Carrying out a second attack in a week, Iran has launched a fresh wave of strikes against Kurdish opposition groups...The counter-terrorism department of Iraqi Kurdistan said that Iran's "Revolutionary Guard Corps have again bombarded Iranian Kurdish parties"
The Iraqi state news agency INA early Monday also reported on the attacks, referring to "Iranian missile and drone strikes" against "three Iranian opposition parties"
Abu Dhabi launches smart manufacturing index
ABU DHABI, UAE - The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has launched the 'Abu Dhabi Smart Manufacturing Index',...The Index empowers manufacturers with the necessary knowledge and training to initiate an Industry 4.0 transformation journey.
It breaks down sophisticated concepts into six building blocks to provide a clear and easy-to-follow roadmap.
Bahrain picks record eight women lawmakers in Parliament
Two major opposition groups, the Shiite Al-Wefaq and the secular Waad, were prevented from presenting candidates. These parties were dissolved...The Bahrain News Agency published the list of 34 candidates who won seats in the second round of parliamentary elections on Saturday.
More than 330 candidates, including a record 73 women, ran for a seat on the council of representatives -- the lower house of parliament.
Ukraine, Russia trade blame over nuclear plant shelling
Kyiv and Moscow traded accusations of shelling on the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that Russia controls in...The Russian army said missiles exploded around a power line that feeds the plant, the fourth and fifth power units and "special building number 2".
Renat Karchaa, an advisor to the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, told state-run agency TASS that the "special building" contained nuclear fuel.
Swiss regret COP27 going soft on top polluters
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - Switzerland regretted Sunday that the COP27 climate summit outcome does not impose obligations on the highest greenhouse...There was disappointment in some quarters over COP27's stand on cutting emissions.
There were concerns that no resolutions were passed on phasing out coal and reducing subsidies for oil and gas
First Israel-Qatar direct commercial flight takes off for World Cup
When FIFA announced the deal for direct Israel-Qatar flights on November 10, it claimed that "Palestinian ticket holders and media"...But it was not immediately clear to what extent Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank or blockaded Gaza Strip would have access to the charter.
Israeli foreign ministry official Lior Haiat, at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, told AFP that "history has been made," with the "first direct flight from Tel Aviv to Doha."
Protest-hit Kurdish town fears a major Iranian crackdown
Activists on Sunday expressed alarm that Iran was implementing a major crackdown in a Kurdish-populated town that has seen intense...Iran's clerical leadership has been shaken by more than two months of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini
The Norway-based Hengaw rights group said "armed troops" had been despatched to Mahabad from Urmia, the main city of West Azerbaijan province
‘Historic’ but ‘not enough’: UN COP27 climate summit reactions
The summit drew praise for the "loss and damage" fund to help vulnerable countries cope with the destructive impacts of...It is more than frustrating to see overdue steps on mitigation being stonewalled by a number of large emitters and oil producers, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
"This COP has taken an important step towards justice. I welcome the decision to establish a loss and damage fund," said UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Children in war-scarred Idlib kick off their own World Cup
Idlib, Syria— More than 300 children in rebel-held northwest Syria kicked off their own football World Cup on Saturday, with organizers...Ibrahim Sarmini of the NGO Violet, which organized the tournament, said children aged 10 to 14 have been training for months to take part in the "camps World Cup"
The Idlib region is home to about three million people, around half of them displaced
