Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them on Tuesday, as the latest deadline set by President Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer. Mr. Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if the regime does not meet his 8…
[RFI] The United Nations has launched its first global panel on artificial intelligence, as concerns grow that the technology could deepen global inequalities – particularly in Africa, where systems are largely imported after being shaped elsewhere.
Satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supply, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Gallo Images | Getty Images Oil prices rose on Sunday with U.S. crude topping $114 per barrel, after President Donald Trump gave Iran until Tuesday to open the Strait of Hormuz or…
Tangier, Morocco — Africa must move swiftly to harness data and frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive its economic growth and make the continent globally competitive in the digital economy, a senior official at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has told policymakers. Opening the Committee of Experts segment of…
The intensifying conflict in the Persian Gulf “has triggered one of the most rapid and severe disruptions to global commodity flows in recent times,” the Chief Economist with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday. The crisis is affecting agricultural production and food security worldwide, with impacts on farmers but also migrant…
Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago The South African Reserve Bank maintained its main lending rate at 6.75% on Thursday, saying caution was needed as higher energy prices triggered by the US-Israel war against Iran would push up inflation. Economists polled by Reuters had expected no change in the repo rate, as the Middle East conflict…
President Trump voiced optimism on Tuesday that a peace deal will be reached with Iran, while insisting the war had already been won. “This war has been won,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office. “The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news.” “We killed all their leadership,” he said…
All-time high greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere continue to drive heat records on land and sea, with long-lasting consequences for humanity, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Monday. Hot on the heels of a scorching decade, the UN’s weather agency has said that the planet’s climate is “more out of balance than at…
The Bank of Japan (BOJ) headquarters is seen beyond the cherry blossoms in Tokyo on March 20, 2023. Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images The Bank of Japan on Thursday kept its rates steady at 0.75% as expected, but noted that inflation risks now are tilted to the upside due to the Iran war….
Increasing chip costs are starting to affect SIM cards. (Graphic by Nicola Mawson, with images from Freepik) JSE-listed MTN says it hasn’t seen the effects of a shortage of computing components due to the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s demand for chipsets – yet. AI companies’ ramp-up of data centres to cater…
