Author: ALJAZEERA

The European Union also sent requests for info to tech giants on their use of generative artificial intelligence.The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Chinese e-commerce site AliExpress over concerns about illegal and pornographic content on its platform. In a statement on Thursday, the European Union’s executive arm said it would investigate the e-commerce giant under its Digital Services Act (DSA), a law requiring companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful products on their platforms. The probe will determine if AliExpress breached the DSA in “areas linked to the management and mitigation of risks, to content…

An Algerian court has issued a six-month suspended sentence and a 50,000 dinars ($372) fine to the prominent democracy activist Karim Tabbou, according to a local rights group. One Algerian activist, who did not disclose his name for fear of reprisal, said that the wording of the sentence indicates that Tabbou will not serve jail time. However, observers see the sentence, handed down on Wednesday, as part of a broader campaign of harassment and arrest against activists from Algeria’s pro-democracy Hirak movement. According to the National Committee for the Release of Detainees, Tabbou was convicted of “incitement to unarmed assembly”,…

At least 60 people died as the boat spent about a week lost at sea after leaving Libya, survivors tell rescuers.Survivors from a deflating rubber dinghy rescued in the central Mediterranean Sea reported that at least 60 people who departed Libya with them a week ago died during the journey, a charity rescue group has said. SOS Mediterranee said on Thursday that it had rescued 25 people in a “very weak” condition in coordination with the Italian coastguard a day earlier. Two unconscious people were also flown to Sicily by helicopter but later died. “The survivors departed from Zawiya, Libya,…

The International Energy Agency says shipping disruptions provide a short-term boost to the oil market with demand at 1.3 million barrels per day.Global oil demand is forecast to grow more than expected due to the rising fuel needs of ships rerouted away from the Red Sea amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels and a brighter economic outlook in the United States, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. In its monthly oil report released on Thursday, the Paris-based agency made a 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) upward revision of global oil demand from its previous forecast as attacks by Yemen’s…

NewsFeedThe Israeli army has admitted mistaking a bicycle for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, in the killing of two Palestinians in Gaza. In a video of the attack, the Israeli military labelled the bike as an RPG.Published On 14 Mar 202414 Mar 2024 Source link

Israeli forces have shot dead at least six Palestinians and wounded 83 in Gaza City as they were waiting for food and humanitarian supplies at the Kuwait Roundabout, an area where large groups of people gather for arriving aid trucks. The attack on Thursday took place hours after at least five people were killed by an Israeli air strike on a food distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza, run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which is the main humanitarian agency in Gaza. There has been an uptick in fatal…

Islamabad, Pakistan — When Pakistan’s 19-member new cabinet took oath on March 11, one man stood out in the lineup: Muhammad Aurangzeb, a political outsider tasked with the challenge of steering the country out of its economic woes. Aurangzeb, a veteran banker who previously headed one of Pakistan’s largest commercial banks, Habib Bank Limited (HBL), has been given the reins of a $350bn economy over several other contenders, including the four-time finance minister Ishaq Dar. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Aurangzeb also worked in major international banks, such as Citibank and JP Morgan,…

An Israeli tank killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah in Lebanon last year by firing two 120mm rounds at a group of “clearly identifiable journalists” in violation of international law, a United Nations investigation into the October 13 incident has found. The investigation by the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), summarised in a report seen and reported by Reuters on Wednesday, said its personnel did not record any exchange of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon for more than 40 minutes before the Israeli Merkava tank opened fire. “The firing at civilians, in this instance clearly identifiable journalists,…

The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a bill that could eventually ban the social media platform TikTok in the country, in its latest salvo against both China and big tech. The bill received resoundingly bipartisan support, with vote of 352 to 65 in favour. It now heads to the 100-member Senate, where its prospects are less clear. For his part, President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill into law if it reached his desk. If that happened, TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance would be given about six months to divest from its US assets or…

Spy agencies say Hamas and its tunnel network will not be destroyed.In its annual threat report, the United States’ intelligence community has concluded that Hamas cannot be destroyed. The group’s elimination is a core aim of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s merciless onslaught in Gaza. So why is the US continuing to arm Israel, to fight a war it doesn’t believe can be won? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Glenn Carle – Served for more than 20 years in the clandestine services of the CIA and is now a US national security and foreign policy specialist Yossi Mekelberg – Associate fellow…