Author: admin@primenews

The grip artificial intelligence has gained over humanity in 2023 – or at least the increase in conversations about whether it will be a force for revolutionary good or apocalyptic destruction – has led AI to be given the title of “word of the year” by the makers of Collins Dictionary. Usage of the term has quadrupled this year, the publisher said. Other contenders ranged from ultraprocessed to Ulez, but Collins managing director Alex Beecroft said AI had been “the talking point of 2023”. He said: “We know that AI has been a big focus this year in the way…

French counter-terrorism police have shot an unarmed woman reportedly threatening passers-by in Paris. A police source told the BBC that they intervened at the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand train station on Tuesday. The woman, who was wearing a full veil, reportedly threatened to blow herself up. When she refused to comply with police orders they opened fire eight times, the source said. The woman was reportedly heard shouting “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is greatest”. “Police feared for their safety,” the source added. She is said to be critical but stable after being shot in the abdomen. Government spokesman Olivier Véran said that…

US prosecutors have pounced on public statements made by Sam Bankman-Fried as they cross-examined him about the collapse of his crypto empire. They said there were inconsistencies between his media remarks and how his crypto exchange FTX was managed. The 31-year-old is accused of lying to investors and lenders and stealing money from customers, with several ex-colleagues testifying against him. He denies that and says he was acting in good faith but made mistakes. Prosecutors pushed Mr Bankman-Fried, a high-profile public figure as head of now defunct firm FTX, about his past comments and social media posts. In them he…

Two musicians have taken sustainable touring to the next level – walking 870 miles (1,400 km) with their instruments strapped to their backs. While Beyoncé flies in a private jet, Filkins Drift have walked around Wales, performing almost 50 gigs. After hiking through two named storms, Chris Roberts and Seth Bye finish their 60-day tour in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, on Tuesday. They said the music industry has to change its “mindset” on sustainability. The subject of how musicians tour hit the headlines in the summer when Beyoncé arrived for a gig in Cardiff by private jet, while Coldplay’s Chris Martin took the train to…

Markets soared on Monday, just one day after the S&P 500 index landed in correction territory, ending the prior week 10% off its July zenith. But Monday’s optimism could be short lived. Traders face a multitude of potentially scary market surprises lurking in the shadows this Halloween week. Wall Street is clearly spooked: The S&P 500 is still down by about 2.9% for October, and pacing toward its third negative month in a row. It would be the longest losing streak since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The Dow is also on pace to end the month 1.6% lower. The Nasdaq…

 Carlsberg has cut all ties with its Russian business and refuses to enter a deal with Russia’s government that would make Moscow’s seizure of the assets look legitimate, the brewer’s new CEO said Tuesday. The Danish group had been trying since last year to sell its Baltika subsidiary in Russia, following in the footsteps of many other Western companies exiting the country since its invasion of Ukraine. However, after Carlsberg announced in June that it had found a buyer for the business, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the temporary seizure of Carlsberg’s stake in the local brewer the following month. “There is no way around the fact that they have stolen our…

There are already signs that deep divisions could hamper progress at the UN’s crucial COP28 climate summit. More than 70 environment ministers and 100 national delegations have been meeting in Abu Dhabi ahead of talks that begin in Dubai on November 30. Many delegates doubt that a summit hosted by a petrostate – the United Arab Emirates – can shepherd the world towards a low carbon future. This year is on track to be the hottest ever recorded globally. That makes the urgent need for action clearer than ever. The president of the COP28 conference, Sultan Al Jaber, acknowledged the…

A row has broken out in India after several opposition leaders and journalists received a warning from Apple about “state-sponsored attackers” targeting their phone. The alert did not specify who the attackers could be. The leaders, including some MPs, have accused the federal government of trying to hack into their devices. A minister dismissed the allegations, terming them “destructive politics”. But he added that the government will “investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications”. So far, around a dozen opposition politicians have confirmed that they got the message from Apple. The list has MPs including Shashi Tharoor and…

The historic United Auto Workers union strike against the nation’s three unionized automakers — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, known as the “Big Three” — could finally be over soon. This news comes after all three automakers reached tentative deals with the union. Ford was the first to announce it reached a tentative agreement with the UAW on Wednesday. Then came Stellantis over the weekend and GM today. A brief refresher The strike, which began nearly seven weeks ago, has been the longest US auto strike in 25 years. It was the first time in its history that the UAW staged a simultaneous strike against the nation’s…

Historic strikes by autoworkers in North America have cost Stellantis €3 billion ($3.2 billion) in lost revenue, the maker of Chrysler and Jeep said Tuesday. The company said Saturday that it had reached a “tentative agreement” with the United Auto Workers union (UAW), but not before the six-week industrial action dealt a blow to production and sales. Earlier this month, General Motors (GM) said walkouts by its workers had cost the company $200 million in their first two weeks. Stellantis (STLA) still reported better-than-expected revenue for the July-September period, up 7% on the same quarter in 2022 at €45.1 billion ($48 billion). It shipped…