Author: Justin M. Larson
The success of efforts to turn Phoenix into a dominant center of semiconductor manufacturing may hinge on efforts to train local workers. Source link
Meta has been hit with an EU antitrust investigation over its use of AI features in WhatsApp, as the European bloc continues to ramp up challenges to US big tech giants.The probe will examine whether Meta’s new policy on allowing AI providers’ access to WhatsApp may breach EU competition rules, Brussels said in a statement Thursday morning.”The claims are baseless,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told CNBC in a statement, adding that the app’s application programming interface (API) was not designed to support AI chatbots and “puts a strain on our systems.””The AI space is highly competitive and people have access to…
The Israeli government authorized 22 settlements in May, the largest expansion in decades, and Palestinian families are now being forced from their homes. Source link
President William Ruto faces pressure after a Times investigation showed that his government downplayed or ignored the mistreatment of women working in Saudi Arabia. Source link
Bipartisan congressional oversight is underway, but for now is focusing on narrow details about one missile instead of broader legal issues. Source link
As President Emmanuel Macron of France visited China, its leader, Xi Jinping, said his country would play a constructive role in ending the fighting. Source link
Ofcom has fined a pornography provider £1m for not having robust age checks.AVS, which runs 18 adult websites, was also fined £50,000 for not responding to information requests from the communications regulator.Since July, websites and apps that host adult content have had to have age verification checks in place to stop young people from seeing their content.Days after those rules came into force, Ofcom began investigating websites that hadn’t properly complied, including AVS sites, which have millions of monthly UK users, according to the regulator.AVS has 72 hours to introduce “highly effective” age verification or it will be fined £1,000…
The militant group took more than 250 hostages from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including 31 from Thailand. The remains of all but one other hostage, an Israeli, have been recovered. Source link
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists? Here’s a look at how your data is used.The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.) Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real…
BEIJING, CHINA – DECEMBER 3: French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk during a state visit at the Great Hall of the People on December 3, 2025 in Beijing, China. Adek Berry-Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images China said it was open to importing more goods from France in exchange for a “fair, conducive environment” for Chinese businesses in the European nation, President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Thursday as they met in Beijing. The French president kicked off a 3-day visit to China on Wednesday — his first trip to…
British arable farmers are facing a revenue loss of more than £800m after one of the worst-ever harvests on record, analysis shows. Crop production this year was hit by the hottest spring and summer on record as well as drought conditions, leaving farmers with 20% less revenue, according to an estimate by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) thinktank. The estimated loss of £828m is based on researchers looking at “per-hectare yield” figures for wheat, spring and winter barley, oats and oilseed rape and crop area estimates for the UK.They compared current farm gate prices to government figures for the…
Bernd Debusmann Jrat the White HouseDonald Trump/Truth SocialThe 2 September strike in the Caribbean was the first of a wave of attacks against suspected drug traffickers conducted by the Trump administration. A US strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean has become the focal point of controversy, with shifting narratives and mounting questions on Capitol Hill. An initial strike on the boat reportedly left two survivors clinging to the burning vessel before a second strike killed both – prompting concerns that US forces violated laws governing armed conflict. It was the first in a series of ongoing attacks…
European stocks are expected to see a positive start on Thursday.Futures tied to the FTSE 100 were last seen 0.3% higher, while the DAX was up 0.6% and the CAC 40 advanced 0.6%, according to IG Group.The markets edged higher on Wednesday, with apparel companies book-ending the pan-European Stoxx 600. Zara’s parent company Inditex led the benchmark after it reported strong nine-month results, closing the session 10% higher, while Hugo Boss shed the same amount after lowering its guidance. Volvo Cars on Wednesday reported a 10% drop in sales in November year-on-year. It sold 60,244 cars in November and saw growth only…
A view of the NEO magnetic plant in Narva, a city in northeastern Estonia. A plant producing rare-earth magnets for Europe’s electric vehicle and wind-energy sectors.Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesNARVA, Estonia — Europe’s big bet to break China’s rare earths dominance starts on Russia’s doorstep.The continent’s largest rare-earth facility, situated on the very edge of NATO’s eastern flank, is ramping up magnet production as part of a regional push to reduce its import reliance on Beijing.Developed by Canada’s Neo Performance Materials and opened in mid-September, the magnet plant sits in the small industrial city of…
A contrarian stock picker has said a U.K.travel, insurance and financial services company could see its share price rise more than 400% in five years. Saga plc , which targets the over-50s, is a “materially undervalued” business, according to Alyx Wood, co-founder and chief investment officer of Kernow Asset Management, who described the stock as “an investor’s dream.” Wood, whose firm focuses exclusively on U.K. equities, said Saga, which he values at about £2.2 billion ($2.9 billion), has a potential share price upside of 468% over the next five years. “Imagine there’s a stock that’s exposed to the best growth…
She says Taiwan must embrace its Chinese heritage to avoid war. Her critics say she wants to steer the island into Beijing’s orbit. Source link
Inside Horizon Quantum’s office in Singapore on Dec. 3, 2025. The software firm claimed it is the first private company to deploy a commercial quantum computer in the city-state.Sha Ying | CNBC InternationalSingapore-based software firm Horizon Quantum on Wednesday said it has become the first private company to run a quantum computer for commercial use in the city-state, marking a milestone ahead of its plans to list in the U.S.The start-up, founded in 2018 by quantum researcher Joe Fitzsimons, said the machine is now fully operational. It integrates components from quantum computing suppliers, including Maybell Quantum, Quantum Machines and Rigetti…
A pedestrian walks past the Bank of Japan (BoJ) building in central Tokyo on July 28, 2023.Richard A. Brooks | Afp | Getty ImagesJapan’s central bank is caught in a bind as soaring government bond yields risk upending its policy normalization process.The Bank of Japan faces a stark choice: sticking with its policy of raising rates and risking even higher yields and further slowing an already sagging economy, or holding, even cutting rates to support growth that could accelerate inflation further.Japanese government bonds have been scaling new peaks over the past month. On Thursday, yield on the benchmark 10-year JGBs…
Hundreds of UK online safety workers at TikTok have already signed agreements to leave the company, whistleblowers have told Sky News, despite the firm stressing to MPs that the cuts were “still proposals only”.More than 400 online safety workers have agreed to leave the social media company, with only five left in consultation, Sky News understands. “[The workers have] signed a mutual termination agreement, a legally binding contract,” said John Chadfield, national officer for the Communication Workers’ Union.”They’ve handed laptops in, they’ve handed passes in, they’ve been told not to come to the office. That’s no longer a proposal, that’s…
The Trump administration, which crippled Russia’s oil sales to India with sanctions, will be watching Mr. Putin’s talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Source link
Aerial sunrise view of Osaka city in JapanFrank Lee | Moment | Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets were set to open mixed Thursday, after Wall Street gained on the latest jobs data from ADP, which strengthened investors’ conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.Payroll processor ADP reported that private companies cut 32,000 workers in November, a sharp step down from October’s gain of 47,000 positions, and well below the 40,000 increase expected by economists polled by Dow Jones.The ADP report is the last jobs picture the Federal Reserve gets before it meets Dec. 9-10. Markets are pricing in…
The separatists were battling to secure the region’s oil fields, residents and the group’s officials said. Their swift advance could be a turning point in Yemen’s decade-long civil war. Source link
The details could raise questions about who was responsible for a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 — the commander who ordered it or the defense secretary. Source link
Communities in Dilling and Kadugli in the south are trapped in “siege conditions,” according to children’s agency UNICEF. Additionally, there have been reports of sustained attacks in recent days in West Kordofan.Meanwhile, the situation in and around El Fasher – which UN relief chief Tom Fletcher called a “potential crime scene” following its capture by militia fighters, during his visit last month — remains dire. Civilians attempting to escape continue to face grave risks along unsafe routes.“We cannot stress enough that civilians wishing to flee must be afforded safe passage, and they must be able to access humanitarian assistance,” said UN…
