Digital World
Phone bans sweep US schools despite skepticism
AFP - 1h ago
At a red-brick school in Virginia, Hayden Jones is one of 1,000 students banned from using their phones as part of a …
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From critic to investor: Trump welcomes crypto leaders to White House
AFP - Mar 07 2025
Donald Trump on Friday doubled down on his embrace of cryptocurrencies as he hosted top industry players at the White …
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Now a believer, Trump hosts White House crypto summit
Mar 07 2025
Donald Trump on Friday hosts top cryptocurrency players at the White House, a political boost for an industry that has …
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'Prince of Persia' creator 'never imagined' game would be his magic carpet
Mar 07 2025
The 1980s childhood dream of American video game maker Jordan Mechner was crowned with its latest success Thursday when …
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Apple step closer to seeing end of Indonesia iPhone sales ban
Mar 07 2025
Indonesia approved local certificates for more than a dozen Apple products on Friday, the industry ministry said, moving …
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Trump signs executive order establishing 'Strategic Bitcoin Reserve'
Mar 07 2025
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday establishing a "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve," forcefully …
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Trump to welcome crypto elite at White House
Mar 06 2025
US President Donald Trump, who has multiple ties to the crypto industry, will host the sector's top players at a White …
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Minerals, mines, hydrocarbons: Greenland's key but limited resources
Mar 06 2025
The vast autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, coveted by US President Donald Trump, is believed to hold untapped …
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Albania to shut down TikTok in coming days
Mar 06 2025
Albanian authorities said Thursday they were moving to shut down TikTok in the coming days, following through on a ban …
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Thailand repatriates hundreds more Chinese scam centre workers
Mar 06 2025
Hundreds of Chinese nationals freed from Myanmar online scam centres flew home through Thailand on Thursday, as the …
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Taiwan says TSMC investment 'historic moment' for US ties
Mar 06 2025
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC's plan to invest $100 billion in the United States was a "historic moment" for Taiwan-US …
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DeepSeek success shows China's 'ability to innovate': official
Mar 06 2025
The shock entrance of DeepSeek in the race to develop advanced artificial intelligence has put the world on notice as to …
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Christie's first AI art auction sees hits... and plenty of misses
Mar 06 2025
Christie's first auction of art made by artificial intelligence (AI) ended Wednesday with mixed results, providing scant …
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Chinese hackers indicted in US for Treasury breach, other attacks
Mar 05 2025
Twelve Chinese nationals, including two public security ministry officers, have been indicted for a series of hacking …
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EU asked to say how much funding given to Musk firms
Mar 05 2025
The EU faced questions on Wednesday over how much of its money goes to tech billionaire Elon Musk's companies as …
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Musk fails in bid to block OpenAI becoming for-profit business
Mar 05 2025
A US judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's request to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit business in a loss for the …
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Tech giants object as YouTube set to dodge Australian social media ban
Mar 05 2025
Australia's plan to exempt YouTube from a world-leading teen social media ban is "illogical" and a "mockery", rival tech …
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Advocacy group fears US will steer broadband cash to Musk
Mar 05 2025
An internet rights group on Tuesday raised alarm over reports the United States may steer billions of dollars to Elon …
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TSMC announces $100 billion investment in new US chip plants
Mar 04 2025
Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC will invest at least $100 billion in the United States to build "cutting edge" …
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Bitcoin value dives as uncertainty grips market
Mar 04 2025
Bitcoin's price plunged nearly 10 percent on Monday as an escalating trade war and uncertainty over creation of a US …
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LA Times adds AI-generated counterpoints to opinion pieces
Mar 03 2025
The Los Angeles Times said Monday it was adding AI-generated counter-arguments to opinion pieces to help readers grasp …
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TSMC announces $100 bn investment in new US chip plants
Mar 03 2025
Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC will invest at least $100 billion in the United States to build "cutting edge" …
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AI firm Anthropic valued at $61.5 bn in funding round
Mar 03 2025
Anthropic on Monday announced it has raised $3.5 billion in a funding round that valued the artificial intelligence …
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Reddit co-founder joins 'People's Bid' to buy TikTok
Mar 03 2025
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced Monday that he is joining a US bid to buy TikTok, becoming a strategic …
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Wearable tech has far to go before challenging smartphones
Mar 03 2025
Wearable gadgets like smart watches and glasses are growing more capable every year, but experts say smartphones will …
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Singapore probes final destination of possible Nvidia chip servers
Mar 03 2025
Servers that may contain AI-powering Nvidia chips shipped from the United States to Singapore ended up in Malaysia, but …
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AI, trade tensions to mark Barcelona mobile industry meet
Mar 03 2025
Frantic optimism about artificial intelligence's potential to empower gadgets is set to clash with fears about trade …
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Indonesians swindled by scams using President Prabowo deepfakes
Mar 02 2025
Wearing a traditional Indonesian black hat and shirt, President Prabowo Subianto speaks to the camera in an Instagram …
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China signals renewed tech sector support, but concerns linger
Mar 02 2025
A simple handshake between President Xi Jinping and once-shunned entrepreneur Jack Ma sent Chinese tech stocks booming …
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Microsoft retires Skype, internet call pioneer
Feb 28 2025
Microsoft on Friday announced it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer that the tech titan …
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Meta fires employees for leaks amid Zuckerberg's Trump pivot
Feb 28 2025
Meta on Thursday said it had laid off 20 workers for leaking information to the media, as the social media giant faces …
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Meta plans stand-alone AI app: report
Feb 28 2025
Meta plans to add an artificial intelligence app to its stable of stand-alone offerings including Instagram, Facebook …
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Apple unveils new child safety features amid age verification debate
Feb 27 2025
Apple unveiled Thursday a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing safety for children and teens using its devices, as …
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Apple accused of greenwashing in US lawsuit
Feb 27 2025
A group of Apple Watch buyers have filed a lawsuit in Silicon Valley accusing the tech giant of exaggerating how …
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EU's top team in India to bolster relations
Feb 27 2025
The EU's top team arrived in India on an "unprecedented" visit Thursday, aiming to broaden commercial and diplomatic …
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Vietnam jails leading journalist over Facebook posts
Feb 27 2025
A Vietnamese court sentenced a leading independent journalist on Thursday to 30 months in prison over Facebook posts …
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North Korea behind $1.5 billion crypto theft, FBI says
Feb 27 2025
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday accused North Korea of being behind the theft of $1.5 billion worth …
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'Contemplated suicide': Ethiopians recount horror of SE Asia scam centres
Feb 27 2025
Starved, beaten and electrocuted, Ahmed remains traumatised months after being trafficked to Southeast Asia, one of an …
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Proposed 'weather control' bans surge across US states
Feb 27 2025
Fake stories that atmospheric experiments are triggering natural disasters have led to US states pushing blanket bans on …
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AI chip giant Nvidia reports blockbuster revenue
Feb 26 2025
Nvidia on Wednesday said it finished its fiscal year with record high revenue of $130.5 billion, driven by demand for …
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AI giant Nvidia reports record quarterly revenue
Feb 26 2025
Nvidia on Wednesday said it finished its fiscal year with record high revenue of $130.5 billion, driven by demand for …
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Trump rift opens floodgates of disinformation on Ukraine
Feb 26 2025
Disinformation targeting Ukraine and its leader Volodymyr Zelensky is surging as US President Donald Trump's shift on …
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Amazon's next-gen Alexa gets AI upgrade
Feb 26 2025
Online retail behemoth Amazon on Wednesday announced a new version of its Alexa voice assistant that is powered by …
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Kate Bush leads UK musicians in 'silent album' AI fight
Feb 25 2025
Over 1,000 musicians including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Damon Albarn on Tuesday released a silent album in protest at …
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Trump's chip tariff threats raise stakes for Taiwan
Feb 25 2025
US President Donald Trump's threat of tariffs on semiconductor chips has complicated Taiwan's bid to remain a global …
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'Assassin's Creed Shadows' leaked ahead of release
Feb 24 2025
French video game giant Ubisoft said Monday that players had managed to "access" its hotly awaited new instalment of the …
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Anthropic releases its 'smartest' AI model
Feb 24 2025
OpenAI rival Anthropic on Monday released what it said is its smartest artificial intelligence model to date, …
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China's Alibaba to invest $50 bn in AI, cloud computing
Feb 24 2025
Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Monday it will spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence and cloud …
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'Monster Hunter' on prowl for new audiences as latest game drops
Feb 24 2025
With "Monster Hunter Wilds" pitting intrepid players against a menagerie of rampaging beasts on PC and consoles from …
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Apple says to invest $500 bn in US as Trump tariffs bite
Feb 24 2025
Apple said on Monday it will spend more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire 20,000 …
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Apple says to invest $500 bn in US over four years, hire 20,000 staff
Feb 24 2025
Apple said on Monday it will spend more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire 20,000 …
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South Korean fans soak up nostalgia with vintage Japanese superheroes
Feb 24 2025
Die-hard South Korean fans cheer and clap as their favourite superheroes strike poses in brightly coloured uniforms to …
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Does revival or retirement await James Bond at Amazon?
Feb 23 2025
James Bond in the hands of an American company: shock horror! Amazon's takeover of Britain's iconic Bond franchise has …
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Hong Kong and Singapore lead Asia's drive to cash in on crypto boom
Feb 23 2025
Hong Kong and Singapore are the front-runners in a push by Asian governments to become cryptocurrency hubs as they look …
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AI opens 'endless' doors for fashion models, closes others
Feb 23 2025
London-based model Alexsandrah Gondora understands the power of being in "two places at the same time" thanks to an AI …
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Porn stars: Oscar favorite 'Anora' gets sex work right
Feb 22 2025
For a film about sex work to win an Oscar is rare. For it to win the respect of sex workers is even rarer.
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Apple says halting data protection tool for UK users
Feb 21 2025
Apple said on Friday it was ending full end-to-end encryption for British customers and iPhone users, following US media …
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Christie's first-ever AI sale angers some artists
Feb 21 2025
Christie's has launched its first-ever sale dedicated to artworks created with artificial intelligence, riding the AI …
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Chinese AI companies celebrate DeepSeek, shrug off global curbs
Feb 21 2025
Chinese tech companies shrugged off foreign scrutiny of upstart chatbot maker DeepSeek, telling AFP on Friday they were …
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Musk vows to 'fix' X feature over Ukraine and Zelensky
Feb 21 2025
Elon Musk said Thursday that a feature on his social media platform X which allows users to fact-check potentially …
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Trump admin to press ahead with Amazon, Meta antitrust cases
Feb 20 2025
The Trump administration will press on with its antitrust cases against Amazon and Meta, a top official said on …
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Spotify adds more AI-generated audiobooks
Feb 20 2025
Spotify on Thursday began accepting audiobooks narrated by digital voices created by artificial intelligence software …
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Apple adds lower-price iPhone 16e to line-up
Feb 19 2025
Apple on Wednesday introduced a new iPhone 16e model with a lower price tag as the company seeks to revive sales of its …
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Niger turns to satellites to bridge digital divide
Feb 19 2025
Less than a third of Niger's vast territory has internet access, so the west African country is betting on satellite …
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Meta plans undersea cable to link five continents
Feb 18 2025
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has said it will lay an undersea cable stretching across five continents to …
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Musk launches 'scary smart' AI chatbot
Feb 18 2025
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company unveiled on Monday the latest version of its chatbot, Grok 3, which the …
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Fishing trawlers, not sabotage, behind most undersea cable damage: UN
Feb 18 2025
Much has been written about suspected sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, but the UN says fishing trawlers …
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Argentina's Milei denies role in 'cryptogate' as prosecutors launch probe
Feb 18 2025
Argentine President Javier Milei on Monday denied promoting a cryptocurrency that crashed, losing investors billions of …
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Argentine prosecutors to probe Milei over 'cryptogate'
Feb 17 2025
Argentine prosecutors will investigate President Javier Milei for promoting a cryptocurrency that crashed, losing …
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Mexico says to sue Google if it insists on using 'Gulf of America'
Feb 17 2025
Mexico will take Google to court if it insists on changing the Gulf of Mexico's name to "Gulf of America" for Maps users …
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Musk's DOGE seeks access to US tax system: reports
Feb 17 2025
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sparked alarm by seeking access to a system with the US tax …
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DeepSeek removed from South Korea app stores pending privacy review
Feb 17 2025
Chinese AI app DeepSeek will not be available to download in South Korea pending a review of its handling of user data, …
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Chatbot vs national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns
Feb 17 2025
Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek upended the global industry and wiped billions off US tech stocks when it unveiled its R1 …
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S. Korea says DeepSeek removed from local app stores pending privacy review
Feb 17 2025
South Korean authorities said Monday that DeepSeek would not be available from local app stores pending a review of the …
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Musk says chatbot Grok 3 will be unveiled Monday
Feb 16 2025
Elon Musk said his startup xAI will release its Grok 3 chatbot on Monday and billed it as the "smartest AI on Earth" in …
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Don't know who to vote for? Germany has an app for that: the Wahl-O-Mat
Feb 16 2025
Voting can be confusing, especially for young people casting their ballots for the first time, but in Germany they have …
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Myanmar militia says ready to deport 10,000 cyber scam workers
Feb 15 2025
A Myanmar ethnic militia said on Saturday it was preparing to deport 10,000 people linked to cyber scams in the area it …
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OpenAI board rejects Elon Musk-led buyout offer
Feb 15 2025
OpenAI's board chairman on Friday said it has unanimously rejected an Elon Musk-led offer to buy the hot artificial …
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Tunisian startup takes on e-waste challenge
Feb 14 2025
Engineer turned social entrepreneur Sabri Cheriha hunches over a washing machine at a small depot in a suburb of …
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Alibaba shares soar on reports of potential Xi meeting with Jack Ma
Feb 14 2025
Alibaba shares soared by more than six percent on Friday following reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping was poised …
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Taiwan's Lai vows more investment in US as chip tariffs loom
Feb 14 2025
Taiwan will boost investment in the United States and on its own defences, President Lai Ching-te said Friday, as Taipei …
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Estonians plead guilty to US charges in $577 mn crypto scheme
Feb 13 2025
Two Estonian nationals have pleaded guilty to defrauding hundreds of thousands of people around the world in a $577 …
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Ubisoft revenue drops after game flops, 'Assassin's Creed' delays
Feb 13 2025
A run of new-release flops and the delay of the latest “Assassin’s Creed” instalment sent revenue at French games giant …
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Mexico threatens to sue Google over 'Gulf of America' name change
Feb 13 2025
Mexico on Thursday threatened to sue Google over its changing the Gulf of Mexico's name to "Gulf of America" for Maps …
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Swedish video game maker wants industry to stop chasing money
Feb 13 2025
Swedish-Lebanese filmmaker-turned-game-developer Josef Fares is on a mission to put storytelling first in video games, …
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Facebook, TikTok harden EU commitment to tackle disinformation -- but not X
Feb 13 2025
Digital titans including Facebook and TikTok formally pledged to ramp up the fight against disinformation in the EU, …
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French game developers mark first industry-wide strike
Feb 13 2025
French video game workers on Thursday hit the pause button in a first-ever sector-wide walkout over conditions and job …
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Sony hikes profit forecast on strong gaming business
Feb 13 2025
Japanese entertainment and electronics giant Sony upgraded its annual net profit forecast to $7.0 billion on Thursday …
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Musk's DOGE team raises major cyber security concerns
Feb 13 2025
Young engineers deployed across the US government as part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have …
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AP reporter again barred from Oval Office over 'Gulf of America'
Feb 12 2025
An AP reporter Wednesday was barred from attending White House events for the second straight day, as Donald Trump's …
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Scammers using AI to dupe the lonely looking for love
Feb 12 2025
Meta on Wednesday warned internet users to be wary of online acquaintances promising romance but seeking cash as …
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Apple renames Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' on US app
Feb 12 2025
Apple has renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" for US users of its mapping application to comply with an …
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'Saudi is the best!': Why are TikTok mumfluencers lauding desert megacity?
Feb 12 2025
Expat "mumfluencers" are taking to TikTok to sing the praises of life in Saudi Arabia and to extol the virtues of its …
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AI feud: How Musk and Altman's partnership turned toxic
Feb 11 2025
The feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has become one of the bitterest rivalries in business history, with the Tesla …
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US TV record 127.7 million watched Eagles win Super Bowl
Feb 11 2025
An estimated 127.7 million television viewers watched Super Bowl 59, ratings service Nielsen said Tuesday, making …
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Vance puts Europe, China on notice over AI regulation
Feb 11 2025
US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday warned European allies against over-regulating the US-dominated artificial …
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JD Vance puts Europe, China on notice at AI summit
Feb 11 2025
US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday warned European allies against over-regulating the US-dominated artificial …
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Google changes name of Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' for US users
Feb 11 2025
Google on Monday changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" for those using its Maps platform inside …
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YouTube, the online video powerhouse, turns 20
Feb 11 2025
YouTube has evolved from a dinner party lark 20 years ago into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable …
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Playgrounds come alive again with Brazil school phone ban
Feb 11 2025
In Rio de Janeiro, children are playing again "like in the old days," and their focus in class has improved after a …
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Elon Musk heads group trying to buy control of OpenAI: report
Feb 10 2025
Elon Musk is leading an investment group offering $97.4 billion for the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, marking a new …
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Macron vows at summit France to 'deliver' on AI acceleration
Feb 10 2025
President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said France would slash through red tape to build artificial intelligence (AI) …
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