Author: ALJAZEERA

Data centre moratorium pushes have gained steam around the US, with bans proposed in at least a dozen statesNew York State has imposed a one-year moratorium on the construction of large new hyperscale data centres amid concerns about rising costs and the impact on local water supplies, making it the first state in the United States to do so.New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the ban on Tuesday, saying the state’s efforts are aimed at building a “regulatory framework” to address concerns posed by data centres.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“As data center development threatens to hike up…

Oil prices have surged to their highest level in a month as renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran continued for a third consecutive day, dampening hopes for a return to normality in the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude, the primary international benchmark, rose as much as 3.8 percent on Tuesday, extending a 9.6 percent gain from the previous day.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listBrent futures for September delivery stood at $85.92 a barrel as of 08:00 GMT, the highest since June 15.After easing to pre-conflict levels following Washington and Tehran’s signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU)…

Oil prices have jumped amid the latest outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.Brent crude, the main international benchmark, rose more than 4 percent on Monday as the US and Iran traded attacks amid their escalating standoff over control of the critical waterway.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listBrent futures for September delivery stood at $78.82 a barrel as of 08:00 GMT, the highest since June 22.The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Sunday that it had carried out dozens of strikes on Iran to degrade its ability to attack vessels in the…

The housing legislation will become US law at midnight with or without President Donald Trump’s signature.Published On 10 Jul 202610 Jul 2026United States President Donald Trump says he will not sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill in protest at the Senate not passing the controversial SAVE America Act voting legislation.In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said he would not support signing the unrelated housing bill, which would speed up environmental reviews for construction projects, expedite development, and limit the number of single-family homes institutional investors can buy.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe bill will become…

Vancouver, Canada: In an era of artificial intelligence, deepfakes and data-driven decision-making, Canada is moving to revise its privacy laws through Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act.Announced in June, Bill C-36 is Canada’s first major overhaul of private-sector privacy legislation in more than 25 years. The bill explicitly recognises privacy as a fundamental right and also aims to give children’s personal information stronger protections, enhance deletion rights and require greater transparency where automated systems make significant decisions about people.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe reforms also arrive amid growing scrutiny of AI after incidents such…

South Korean chip giant makes largest-ever debut by a foreign firm in the US, eclipsing Alibaba’s 2014 IPO.South Korean chip giant SK Hynix has raised a record-breaking $26.5bn ahead of its Wall Street debut amid soaring demand for semiconductors used in AI.SK Hynix said on Friday that it had sold 177.9 million American depositary shares (ADS) at $149 each ahead of its listing on the New York-based Nasdaq stock exchange.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listADS are US dollar-denominated shares of a foreign company that can be bought and sold on the US market.SK Hynix’s 177.9 million ADSs are…

Global economy to grow 3 percent in 2026, as AI demand partly offsets energy shock from Iran war, IMF says.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its 2026 global growth forecast for the second time this year, citing the “lingering effects” of the energy shock caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.The global economy is expected to grow 3 percent in 2026, down from April’s forecast of 3.1 percent, a “modest slowdown” partly offset by AI-driven demand, the IMF said in its latest outlook, released on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listGrowth is forecast to rebound to 3.4…

Brent crude rises above $76 a barrel for the first time in two weeks amid renewed violence in Strait of Hormuz.Oil prices have surged as renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran threaten to derail a fragile ceasefire that had brought some relief to global energy markets.Brent crude, the main international benchmark, rose more than 3 percent on Wednesday, reversing a slide that had seen prices return to pre-war levels.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listBrent futures for September stood at $76.48 a barrel as of 06:30 GMT, the highest since June 23.Asian stock markets were mixed, with…

Yang Youlin, an ex-official in the eastern city of Nanjing, accepted bribes in exchange for business favours, court says.By Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 7 Jul 20267 Jul 2026A Chinese court has sentenced a former senior official in the eastern city of Nanjing to death for accepting bribes.Yang Youlin illegally accepted money and property totalling more than 2.2 billion yuan ($324m) while holding various government posts from 1993 to 2023, the Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court said in a statement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe bribes were paid to Yang in exchange for help with “undertaking…

Ottawa says future pipeline will reduce economic dependence on the US amid Donald Trump’s trade war.By AFP and The Associated PressPublished On 3 Jul 20263 Jul 2026Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured an investment agreement with British Columbia to build a major oil pipeline, overcoming initial opposition from the westernmost province.The future pipeline is expected to carry 1 million barrels of oil a day – from the oil-rich province of Alberta, across the entirety of British Columbia, to the country’s west coast – allowing Canada new access to Asian markets and reducing its economic dependence on the United States.Recommended…