Month: August 2023
Artificial Intelligence a “blessing”
Artificial Intelligence is the technology that will finally free humanity from humdrum tasks and launch us into lives of more creativity and leisure. Yet worries abound about its impact on livelihoods, including its potential to destroy jobs in all kinds of sectors – witness the strike in July by Hollywood actors who fear being made
Huawei mobile operating system HarmonyOS 4
American restrictions cut Huawei off from Google’s Android mobile operating system, which destroyed Huawei’s smartphone business outside of China. In 2019, Huawei launched its own operating system called HarmonyOS, in a bid to replace Android. The company has been developing new versions of the system ever since, with an eye to regaining some market share
Soviet emblem on tallest statue in Ukraine replaced with trident
The operation to put the trident in place of the Soviet emblem on the 62-metre-tall steel figure of a woman, known as the Fatherland Mother, began last month, as Ukraine purges its public areas of reminders of Russian and Soviet rule. The silvery monument stands high on the bank of the Dnieper River, brandishing a
State of Emergency declared in Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s government announced a state of emergency on Friday, following days of clashes between the federal security forces and local ethnic militia in the northern Amhara region. Both forces had fought alongside federal ones in the Tigray conflict, but now the federal government wants to centralize power. The government said it wanted to integrate local
Macron’s plan for an African reset spoiled
Last week’s military coup against Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s elected president, leaves hopes of a fresh relationship severely frayed. On July 30th protesters in Niamey, Niger’s capital, declared “Down with France!” and waved Russian flags. A crowd attacked the French embassy, setting fire to the door and smashing windows. Macron said that French military bases in
America’s chip factories
America is building factories, but can it find the workers to operate them? With the jobless rate near a five-decade low, companies are already struggling to find staff. As scores of new factories come online, the gaps will grow even larger. America’s new industrial policy is off to a roaring start. Enticed by subsidies, companies
Niger revokes military deals with France
Niger’s military coup is the seventh coup in West and Central Africa since 2020. An ECOWAS delegation was in Niamey, hoping to secure a peaceful resolution on the matter, but they were unable to meet the junta leaders or the ousted president. The bloc’s defence chiefs have also met this week to discuss a possible
Semiconductor industry
Semiconductors are made from tiny fragments of raw materials, such as silicon, which are then altered in a process called doping so that they will sometimes conduct electricity and sometimes not. In modern manufacturing there are few components more crucial than semiconductors, also sometimes referred to as microchips or integrated circuits. Semiconductors are the foundation
Use of Sea Drones in Russia-Ukraine war
Sea drones are small, unmanned vessels. Unlike aerial drones, these ones operate on or below the water’s surface. These drones can be used for military purposes too – like clearing mines, carrying out surveillance or detonating near targets like enemy ships. Common sea drone features include built-in explosives and cameras which beam back images to
Transfusion centre in Ukraine hit by guided bombs
President Zelensky posted a photo purportedly showing Kupiansk’s blood transfusion centre on fire after the Russian attack. Volodymyr Zelensky did not give details on how many people had been killed or injured in Saturday’s attack in the Kharkiv region. The Russian strikes come after Moscow accused Ukraine of hitting a Russian tanker with 11 crew