Author: ALJAZEERA

Nobel peace prize laureate Maria Ressa and Urvashi Aneja explore how current AI developments impact the Global South.While many of today’s headline-grabbing artificial intelligence (AI) tools are designed in Silicon Valley, much of the labour that fuels the boom is based in the Global South, raising questions over who stands to gain from the technology and at what cost. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and the director of the Digital Futures Lab, Urvashi Aneja, explore the impact AI is already having on communities in the Global South – from labour conditions to democracy and the environment – and why…

In September, Soulayma Abdel Hay started a soup kitchen in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. She solicited overseas donations to buy rice, beans and eggs and to cook for hungry families three times a week. Khartoum had mostly fallen to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSP), who looted the property and savings of hundreds of thousands of people. In Abdel Hay’s neighbourhood, many Sudanese fell into poverty and relied on her meals to survive. “When we started, about 70 people would come to us for food … from several neighbourhoods,” Abdel Hay told Al Jazeera from Khartoum. “Eventually, we started to see…

Altman has discussed ‘wildly ambitious’ plans with investors, including the United Arab Emirates government, the WSJ says.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seeking to raise trillions of dollars from investors, including the United Arab Emirates government, to boost the world’s capacity to produce advanced chips and power artificial intelligence, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Altman’s “wildly ambitious tech initiative” could require raising as much as $7 trillion, the WSJ reported on Thursday, quoting people familiar with the matter. As part of his pitch to investors, Altman has proposed building dozens of chip foundries that would then be run by existing…

Beirut, Lebanon – With its grand Ottoman-era palaces and mansions, Beirut’s historical Sursock Street in the heart of the Achrafieh district – dotted with pockets of greenery, winding streets and small eateries – is a magnet for architecture and heritage lovers. Most people know of the stunning stained glass windows of the Sursock Museum and the magnificent stucco ceilings of Sursock Palace, buildings that sit opposite each other. These were the homes of the aristocratic Sursock family, wealthy merchants with political ties to the Ottoman Empire, who were among Beirut’s seven founding families. However, a lesser-known historical gem sits on…

Bengaluru, India – On January 23, an icon of Indian cinema and politics, M Karunanidhi appeared before a live audience on a large projected screen, to congratulate his 82-year-old friend and fellow politician TR Baalu on the launch of his autobiographical book. Dressed in his trademark black sunglasses, white shirt, and a yellow shawl around his shoulders — Karunanidhi’s style was spot on. In his eight-minute speech, the veteran poet-turned-politician congratulated the book’s author but was also effusive in his praise for the able leadership of MK Stalin, his son and the current leader of the state. Karunanidhi has been…

Air raids come as Palestinians in Rafah brace for offensive that aid agencies fear will cause massive casualties.Israel has carried out air strikes in southern Gaza’s Rafah, killing dozens, according to health officials, as Palestinians brace for a major offensive on the densely-crowded city. There were conflicting reports of the death toll following the pre-dawn strikes on Monday. The AFP news agency reported that the strikes killed 52 people, while Reuters reported that 37 had been killed. Both outlets cited health officials in Gaza. The Israeli strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in Rafah, according to Palestinian officials. Israel’s…

Istanbul, Turkey – The earthquakes that struck southern Turkey a year ago left millions facing the loss of loved ones, homes and jobs. But none were struck harder than those already on society’s bottom rung – Turkey’s Romani, Abdal and Domari communities. Although not recognised as minorities in Turkey, these groups, which migrated from northern India over the last millennium, are estimated to number up to five million people who live in poverty, social exclusion and discrimination. In the aftermath of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake – and the second, nearly as strong, that followed moments later – that hit in the…

For more than four months now, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries have been staunchly supporting Israel’s war on Gaza. As of now, the Israeli army has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians, including more than 12,000 children. On January 26, the International Court of Justice ruled that “at least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the [Genocide] Convention,” and that South Africa’s claim that Israel is committing genocidal acts is “plausible”. Nevertheless, the West…

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Palestinian group issues warning as Biden says Israel shouldn’t invade without ‘credible’ plan to protect civilians.Hamas has warned Israel that a ground offensive in Rafah would imperil negotiations on a truce and the exchange of captives and prisoners, as United States President Joe Biden said an assault should not go ahead without a “credible” plan to protect civilians in the city. Aid groups and foreign governments, including Israel’s key ally the US, have voiced deep concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to extend ground military operations into the far-southern Gaza city. Rafah, on the border with Egypt, is…