Month: February 2024
OpenAI to put AI into humanoid robots
Robotics experts differ on the usefulness of robots shaped in human form. Most robots employed in factory and warehouse tasks might have some animal-like features – a robotic arm, finger-like grippers or even legs – but are not truly humanoid. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is putting its artificial intelligence systems into humanoid robots. The
The west involvement in Ukraine conflict
Putin said Russian forces were making effective use of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the special military operation zone to hit critically important targets while trials of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon system were in their final stages. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of “tragic consequences” for any Western country that
Israel wars against Hezbollah
The Hezbollah-Israel exchanges have mostly focused on the stretches along the border, but on Monday, Israel’s air force attacked areas near the northeastern city of Baalbek after Hezbollah fighters shot down an Israel drone flying over Lebanon .European and American officials have tried to ease the tensions in visits to Beirut, to avoid a full-blown
Gaza Kilings
After nearly five months of Israeli bombardments, much of the crowded enclave has been reduced to rubble and the majority of its 2.3 million population displaced from their homes at least once, leaving people heavily reliant on humanitarian aid. Aid deliveries to northern Gaza have been rare and chaotic, passing through more active military zones.
Booming Cocoa Business
Governments in Ghana and Ivory Coast regulate cocoa markets heavily, and set prices for farmers. Current wholesale prices are 250% higher than Ghana’s farm-gate price in 2023. Thin margins discourage farmers from investing in new plantations. The El Niño for this year has brought severe drought to the cocoa farms, reducing production further. It us estimated
Transnistria Asks for Russia protection
A short war in the early 1990s led pro-Russian forces in Transnistria to declare a breakaway state. To this day, Russia stations about 1,500 troops in the region as so-called peacekeepers, who guard huge Soviet-era weapons and ammunition stockpiles. Moldova is working to align its economic legislation with the EU as it pursues full membership
Booming Stock Market
Stocks slumped in 2022, when faced with fast-rising interest rates, and wobbled last March, during a banking panic. Now, though, both episodes look like brief interruptions in equities’ long march higher. Despite middling economic growth and the covid-19 pandemic, stockmarkets have offered annual returns, after inflation, of more than 8% a year since 2010, including dividends
Cutting China- American ties
Chinese supply chains may be less visible, but they remain extremely important to the American economy.Mr Trump has threatened enormous tariffs on all Chinese products should he become president in November. Such levies may be enough to encourage some companies to move out of China for good. Economic efficiency, provided by China’s huge scale and manufacturing
The world of Blockchain technology and Cryptos
Blockchain is the technology underpinning all cryptocurrencies, and many related products like non fungible tokens (NFTs). In essence, it is a virtual spreadsheet on which all the buying and selling of crypto is recorded. They are arranged in blocks linked together in a giant chain hence the name. Every cryptocurrency transaction is individually recorded onto
Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool Gemini responses
From the moment Google launched Gemini, which was then known as Bard, it has been extremely nervous about it. Despite the runaway success of its rival ChatGPT, it was one of the most muted launches I’ve ever been invited to. Just me, on a Zoom call, with a couple of Google execs who were keen