China has reduced shipments of rare earth magnets to the United States just days before President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet in Washington. The timing is drawing attention because rare earth magnets are critical to industries ranging from electric vehicles and electronics to defence equipment. Chinese customs data released…
Russia’s latest parliamentary election has created a sharp divide between Moscow’s official results and the European Union’s response. While Russia’s Central Election Commission says President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has won 355 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, the EU has rejected the election process and said it will not recognise voting…
A fresh security incident in southern Lebanon has put the Lebanese army and Israeli forces on alert, adding another layer of tension to an already unstable Middle East. The development comes as the UN Security Council separately condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and warned about threats to regional and international security. The developments…
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused some European leaders of preparing for war with Russia, while insisting that Moscow has no plans to attack Europe and remains open to restoring relations with its neighbours. Speaking at Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission, Putin said European politicians were using the conflict in Ukraine and fears about Russia to justify…
Several dozen protesters marched through San Francisco on Thursday, targeting the headquarters of OpenAI and Anthropic as concerns over the speed of artificial intelligence development continue to grow. The AI safety protests in San Francisco come at a time when warnings about increasingly powerful AI are coming from inside the industry itself. Protesters are demanding…
Russian forces have intensified attacks around Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, putting another layer of pressure on the country’s already strained export routes. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces struck cargo ships at Odesa, Chornomorsk and Izmail, as well as a Nova Poshta logistics facility. Moscow claimed the ships were carrying military equipment from Europe, but…
Saudi Arabia is seeking air-defense assistance from France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt as its supply of missile interceptors comes under pressure from renewed Houthi attacks from Yemen. The kingdom is particularly concerned about protecting military facilities, government buildings and oil infrastructure as the Houthis expand their activity along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Saudi officials have…
US President Donald Trump has said the US-Iran war may be nearing an end, raising fresh hopes for diplomacy after months of fighting, disruption to energy markets and growing pressure across the Middle East. Trump made the comments on September 16, saying he hoped the conflict was moving towards its conclusion and claiming that Iranian…
King Charles III has called on some of the world’s biggest artificial intelligence companies to give reassurance that humanity will not lose control of the technology as its capabilities continue to advance. The King is hosting senior representatives from Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic at Dumfries House in Scotland on Thursday for a private…
The UK government is preparing changes to political funding legislation that could affect £72 million recently donated to Reform UK by cryptocurrency billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne. The two donors each gave £36 million to the party, creating the largest donations to a UK political party. Ministers are seeking amendments to the Representation of…
