Author: France 24

Top AI engineers at defence technology companies defended the need for autonomous weapons on Thursday, amid a push for a ban on so-called “killer robots”. More than 115 countries and 250 non-governmental organisations are calling for an international treaty to ban weapons that use artificial intelligence to identify and engage human targets, technology which United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called “morally repugnant.” Source link

Israeli Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from Republican and Democratic party leaders to address lawmakers in the US Congress on July 24, a congressional source told AFP on Thursday. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments. Source link

In this week’s edition of Destination Paris we look into one of the most exciting names in swimming, with French hopes high that Léon Marchand can earn gold in his home games. We also visit the neighbourhood of Dakar in which judo champion Mbagnick Ndiaye grew up. Source link

The European Central Bank has decided to lower its benchmark interest rates by 0.25%  from a record high, effective June 12th. However, the ECB also revised its outlook for the coming months and said it no longer believed inflation would hit its target of 2% this year, but instead would average at around 2.2%. Plus, Ireland losing hundreds of young doctors every year as they emmigrate to Australia, in search of better working conditions.  Source link

A hospital in central Gaza said Thursday at least 37 people were killed in Israeli bombardment overnight of a UN-run school which the Israeli military said housed a “Hamas compound”. Source link

As the world marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the historic moment is also remembered as a catalyst for the turning of economic tides. A series of post-war events and decisions such as the Bretton Woods Conference heralded a new era for economic cooperation and financial order. We also look at the United States’ role in rehabilitating Europe with its Marshall Plan: aid worth an estimated $140 billion in today’s money. Source link

The Israeli army said Thursday that it had carried out a deadly strike on a UN school in central Gaza that it said housed a “Hamas compound”, with the Hamas media office saying at least 27 people were killed. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments. Source link

Alexander Zverev advanced to his fourth successive French Open semi-final with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 win over Australian 11th seed Alex de Minaur on Wednesday. Source link

Israel said it would soon decide whether to launch an offensive in Lebanon, where it has clashed with the Iran-backed group Hezbollah for months. Steven A. Cook, a Senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations tells FRANCE24’s Monte Francis that Hezbollah’s large stores of rockets, missiles and precision munitions pose a bigger threat to the general Israeli public than the actions of Hamas on October 7th. Source link

Israel’s military pounded central Gaza with heavy air strikes on Wednesday as international talks to secure a truce and hostage release deal resumed. Source link