Author: AFP
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Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
American John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for pioneering work in the development of artificial intelligence. The pair were honored “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks,” the jury said. “This year’s two Nobel Laureates in Physics have used tools from…
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New ‘Joker’ film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
Warner Bros.’ “Joker: Folie a Deux,” a dark new musical Batman spinoff, earned an estimated $40 million over the weekend to top the North American box office, industry watchers reported Sunday. But that was far behind the $96.2 opening of the original “Joker” in 2019, a movie that earned Joaquin Phoenix a best-actor Oscar and…
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Emirates bans pagers, walkie-talkies onboard after Lebanon blasts
Dubai-based airline Emirates has banned pagers and walkie-talkies onboard its planes following sabotage attacks in Lebanon and extended flight cancellations for Middle East destinations due to regional escalation. “All Passengers travelling on flights to, from or via Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers and walkie-talkies in checked or cabin baggage,” the carrier said, weeks after…
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Palestinian activist wins prize for peaceful resistance
Palestinian activist Issa Amro on Thursday accepted the Right Livelihood prize — considered by some an alternative Nobel — for his “nonviolent resistance to Israel’s illegal occupation” in the West Bank, the jury said. Amro was born in the city of Hebron, a flashpoint West Bank city where roughly 1,000 Jewish settlers live under heavy…
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Death toll from Tel Aviv attack rises to seven
A man wounded in a shooting and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv has died, the medical centre where he was being treated said Wednesday, bringing the number of fatalities up to seven. “The injured person came to us in a critical condition, suffering from multi-system damage, and after doctors fought for…
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Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India
British rock band Coldplay’s upcoming tour of India has triggered a police investigation and dismayed fans after scalpers bought up cheap tickets to resell online for more than $1,000 apiece. Thousands of music fans tried and failed to buy tickets for three concerts scheduled in financial hub Mumbai next January, sold by popular Indian online…
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Lebanon PM calls for ceasefire with Israel
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday called for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut. “The key to the solution is to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to revive the appeal launched by the United States…
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Beloved Maggie Smith playing Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter dies at 89
Maggie Smith, who died on Friday aged 89, was an Oscar-winning legend of stage and screen, renowned for playing wide repertoire of characters during a decades-spanning career and personifying a particular kind of English eccentricity. For more than 60 years, on stage and on screen, she excelled in whatever she turned her hand to, winning…
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Saudi Arabia forms coalition to push for Palestinian statehood
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Friday announced an “international alliance” to press for Palestinian statehood, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the “International Alliance to implement the two-state solution” included Arab and Islamic countries, as well as European partners, the Saudi Press Agency said. The Gaza crisis has revived…
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Pope says Church must ‘seek forgiveness’ for child sexual abuse
Pope Francis said Friday that the Catholic Church must “seek forgiveness” over the “scourge” of child sexual abuse, during a visit to Belgium where the Church’s dark past looms large. In a speech before political and civil society leaders that opened his three-day visit to the country, Francis denounced the “tragic instances of child abuse”…