Pioneers in artificial intelligence win the Nobel Prize in physics
STOCKHOLM — Two pioneers of artificial intelligence — John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton — won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for helping create the building blocks of machine learning that is revolutionizing the way we work and live but…
China targets brandy in EU trade tit-for-tat after EV tariff move
Beijing/Paris — China imposed temporary anti-dumping measures on imports of brandy from the EU on Tuesday, hitting French brands including Hennessy and Remy Martin, days after the 27-state bloc voted for tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, or EVs. China’s commerce…
UN rights chief warns of ‘widespread and systematic’ torture of Ukrainian POWs
In a briefing to the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, UN rights chief Volker Türk highlighted the widespread devastation and violations of international law that have defined the conflict. He noted that July 2024 was the deadliest month for…
‘Alarming’ situation in Great Lakes Region of DR Congo
“It is the civilian population who will continue to bear the heavy toll of war daily: loss of life, sexual violence, health problems and malnutrition in displacement camps,” said Huang Xia. The violence is driven by both the M23 armed group…
‘Indescribable’ pain following year of war in Gaza
The war in Gaza was sparked following a brutal attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel and has led to an ongoing offensive by Israeli forces against the militants. Ahmed Abu Aita lost 45 relatives, including…
Fears grow that Lebanon may become another Gaza
“It’s impossible to meet the needs of more than a million people who have been suddenly uprooted, displaced and dispossessed without additional resources coming in,” said Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Country Director in Lebanon (From Beirut): “This was not a country…
Israel: New law blocking UNRWA ‘would be a catastrophe’, Guterres warns
“That’s why I have written directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express profound concern about draft legislation that could prevent UNRWA from continuing its essential work in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” he said at the Security Council stakeout…
Explainer: How UN peacekeepers meet the challenge of escalating conflict in Lebanon
Here is what you need to know about UNIFIL, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon: Security Council mandate UNIFIL was created by the Security Council in March 1978 following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Its mandate was to confirm the withdrawal…
‘Families ran for their lives’: Syria receives 250,000 refugees fleeing Lebanon
“Families I spoke with had run for their lives and have no idea what tomorrow may bring after an exhausting, dangerous journey to the border. They arrive with few means and in need of urgent relief,” UNHCR chief Mr. Grandi…
China is oversupplying lithium to eliminate rivals, US official says
LISBON — Chinese lithium producers are flooding the global market with the critical metal and causing a “predatory” price drop as they seek to eliminate competing projects, a senior U.S. official said on a visit to Portugal that has ample…