Month: July 2023
Iraqi and Iran barter deal
After decades of electricity shortages because of war, corruption and mismanagement, oil-rich Iraq has become heavily reliant on imported Iranian gas to meet its electricity needs. The shortages in recent months are in part due to U.S. restrictions on transferring funds to Iran. Imports from Iran are especially vital during the scorching summer months when
Swahili to be included in AI-Driven Chatbot Bard
Swahili is among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 200 million speakers. Google has included Swahili on its conversational artificial intelligence (AI) service Bard, becoming the first language on the continent to be embedded in the solution. As part of the expansion, the new updates launched include Listen to
Abramovich to challenge European Union sanctions
Following President Vladimir Putin’s February 24 decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, the EU imposed sanctions on Russian authorities and a slew of Russian businessmen, blocking hundreds of billions of euros in Russian assets. Abramovich is one of the most powerful businessmen who amassed enormous fortunes following the dissolution of the
China “hacks” us government emails
In May, Microsoft and Western spy agencies said Chinese hackers had used “stealthy” malware to attack critical infrastructure on American military bases in Guam. Experts said it was one of the largest known cyber espionage campaigns against the US. China routinely denies involvement in hacking operations regardless of the available “evidence or context” . China-based
Bard launches in Europe and Brazil
The hype around the capabilities of generative AI has prompted global tech figures to call for a halt on their development. Over the last six months companies have been investing billions with the hope of generating much more in advertising and cloud revenue. Mr Musk has previously stated he believes developments in AI should be
Appeal against purchase of games publisher Activision Blizzard.
The technology giant’s deal to buy the Call of Duty maker would be the biggest of its kind in gaming industry history. US regulator the Federal Trade Commission has moved to appeal against a decision to allow Microsoft to proceed with its $69bn purchase of games publisher Activision Blizzard. The Federal Trade Commission has alleged
Israel Adesanya trains Zuckerberg to take on Musk
Adesanya travelled to Mr Zuckerberg’s residence in northern California on Saturday to start their training sessions, according to media reports. Nigerian-born mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Israel Adesanya has posted images on Twitter of him training US tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg. It comes head of a potential cage match between the boss of Meta, which
President Raisi African Tour
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that it expects trade with African countries to increase to more than $2 billion (€1.8 billion) this year, without providing a comparative figure for 2022. The tour marks the first visit by an Iranian leader to the African continent in over a decade and comes as Iran seeks to
Russia’s to “pull out” of Ukraine grain deal
Turkey and the U.N. negotiated the breakthrough accord last summer to ease a global food crisis, along with a separate agreement with Russia to facilitate shipments of its food and fertilizer. Moscow insists it’s still facing hurdles, though data shows it has been exporting record amounts of wheat. Concerns are growing that Russia will not
Sudan rejects deployment of African forces
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development quartet group for the resolution of the Sudanese crisis decided to request a meeting for the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) to explore the potential deployment of troops for civilian protection and ensuring humanitarian access. Sudan issued a strong rejection of the proposed deployment of East African forces and threatened