Author: staff
By Anna Desmarais & AP Published on 18/02/2026 – 15:22 GMT+1 An Indian university was reportedly asked to leave an artificial intelligence summit in New Delhi after one of its professors displayed a robotic dog made in China but claimed it was their own invention. Galgotias University was ordered to take down its stand at the India AI Impact Summit after Nehan Singh, a communications professor at the university, told a state-run broadcaster that the robotic dog at their display was from the university. The robot was identified by Internet users as the Unitree Go2, which is sold by China’s Unitree Robotics for…
Merz said in general that he is “very, very, very cautious when it comes to legal bans on something like this [social media],” but that the “consequences” of fake news, AI-generated images and platforms like TikTok “make things more challenging.” Protecting children at school “must come first,” the chancellor said, adding that the idea children must be introduced to digital tools early “doesn’t hold water” as otherwise “you would also have to serve alcohol in primary school so they get used to it.” Members of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union also expressed their support for a ban. Thorsten Frei, head of…
Syrians began tearing down images of Bashar al-Assad and removing his name from public buildings after opposition forces captured Damascus on 8 December 2024, ending more than 50 years of dynastic rule that permeated every aspect of public life. The Ba’ath Party regime had systematically inscribed the al-Assad name across Syria’s physical and symbolic landscape since Hafez al-Assad seized power in 1970. Schools, airports, hospitals and government institutions bore his name, while citizens carried currency emblazoned with images of both Hafez and his son Bashar. In Latakia, authorities renamed Basil al-Assad International Airport to its geographical designation following the regime’s…
By Laila Humairah & Sharifah Fadhilah Alshahab Published on 18/02/2026 – 14:51 GMT+1 For the second year, the 2026 Shell Eco-marathon kicked off in Qatar, with 78 teams competing in prototype and urban concept categories. It features futuristic capsules built purely for efficiency as well as vehicles designed for practical road use. Both categories have the same goal – to travel the furthest distance on a single sip of fuel or kilowatt-hour of electricity. The stakes are particularly high this year as winning teams qualify for the inaugural Global Championships in 2027. Also hosted in Qatar, regional winners will return to…
Published on 18/02/2026 – 14:17 GMT+1 The numbers are in and they don’t look good for Donald Trump. A recent poll conducted by Yahoo! and YouGov has found that more Americans believe that Puerto Rican superstar and recent Super Bowl headliner Bad Bunny “better represents” the country than the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The survey asked 1,704 adults “Who better represents America?”, Bad Bunny or Donald Trump – who lashed out at the Super Bowl headliner, calling his performance “an affront to the Greatness of America”. It turns out that 42 per cent of participants voted in favour…
The pontiff, who has criticized the U.S. president, believes the United Nations should manage international crises, his top diplomat says. Listen AI generated Text-to-speech
Millions of Filipinos line up to receive an ash cross on their foreheads as they mark Ash Wednesday. A priest, minister or lay worker traces the sign of the cross with consecrated ash, beginning the 40 day Lenten season in the largely Christian country. The ritual is simple and public, often held in packed churches and even in open spaces. The ashes come from palm branches blessed on Palm Sunday the year before. They are burned, mixed with holy water and exposed to incense. The gesture serves as a reminder of repentance and the approach of Easter.
LONDON — Reform UK would scrap Britain’s planned carbon border tax if it wins power, the party’s business and trade chief Richard Tice has said. Speaking to POLITICO on Tuesday, Tice vowed to ditch the U.K.’s new carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) as part of a broader rollback of climate levies. Reform would look “to promote oil and gas, but also scrap all these levies and green taxes, CBAM, the whole lot of it all goes,” he said. Britain is currently drawing up its own carbon tax regime — which would charge importers of carbon-intensive goods a fee based on…
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will to testify on Wednesday in a California social media trial that questions whether features on his company’s platforms harm children or foster addiction. Zuckerberg will testify in front of a jury and before bereaved parents of children who have taken their lives due to what they say is social media use. He has apologised to families at a United States Congress hearing whose lives had been upended by what they believe was social media use. Zuckerberg could face questions about Instagram’s algorithm and in-app features that the plaintiffs argue are engineered to keep young users…
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming part of the operational infrastructure within Uzbekistan’s tourism sector, as the country prepares to receive 12 million visitors in 2026, according to the target set by the Tourism Committee. Preliminary data from the National Statistics Committee indicate that Uzbekistan received 11.7 million foreign tourists during 2025. This growth in arrivals has been accompanied by a measurable expansion in accommodation capacity. Uzbekistan currently counts around 7,000 accommodation facilities, including more than 1,200 hotels, according to sector representatives. As supply increases, operators are turning to AI-based systems to manage occupancy, pricing and cost control. Rather than…