The US removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, the latest step in Damascus moving to close the book on the Bashar al-Assad era and a decade-long civil war. Assad’s brutal dictatorship presided over mass human rights violations, an economic collapse, and ultimately a vicious internecine conflict ...
Category: Semafor
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Germany’s economy defies downbeat expectationsGermany’s economy defies downbeat expectations
Germany’s GDP grew faster than previously thought in the second quarter, defying fears that higher energy costs driven by the Iran war would torpedo Europe’s biggest economy. German firms may have benefitted from the fact that Asian rivals were hit even harder by the choking off of trade via the ...
US tariffs target Chinese ‘overcapacity’US tariffs target Chinese ‘overcapacity’
The US is set to impose an additional 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods for industrial “overcapacity” before September’s meeting between the country’s leaders, Bloomberg reported, as Washington attempts to step up protectionist measures without drawing a reprisal from Beijing. The hike would keep US duties on China to around 20%, ...
China’s Xi Jinping likely to attend BRICS summit in IndiaChina’s Xi Jinping likely to attend BRICS summit in India
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is likely to attend September’s BRICS summit in New Delhi, Reuters reported, marking his first visit to India in seven years amid thawing ties between the Asian giants. About 400 officials are expected to accompany Xi to the gathering, where the two countries will attempt a ...
Fully autonomous Russian drone kills three UkrainiansFully autonomous Russian drone kills three Ukrainians
A drone powered by an autonomous AI system killed three Ukrainians last month in what experts believe are the first Russian-inflicted deaths without a human in the loop, The New York Times reported. The drone in question was powered by a Nvidia minicomputer not sold in Russia but available through ...
Trump threatens new 50% tariffs on Canadian carsTrump threatens new 50% tariffs on Canadian cars
US President Donald Trump threatened new 50% tariffs on Canadian cars and trucks on Monday, escalating the two countries’ all-out trade war. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has threatened to retaliate with counter-tariffs, saying the latest negotiations made clear that Trump wants to destroy Canada’s steel, aluminum, and auto industries. ...
France, UK pledge stronger military support for UkraineFrance, UK pledge stronger military support for Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants peace but “is not ready to simply surrender” in an address Monday marking the country’s 35 years of independence. The UK and France pledged stronger military support for Kyiv, including faster deliveries of air defense weapons amid Russia’s escalating ballistic missile attacks. While Kyiv ...
Dangote offers East African countries a 30% stake in new refineryDangote offers East African countries a 30% stake in new refinery
Nigeria’s Dangote Group has offered East African countries a 30% stake in a new oil refinery planned in northern Kenya, Bloomberg reported. Ethiopia and Rwanda have already expressed an interest in investing in the facility in Lamu, according to Kenyan President William Ruto’s top economic advisor. The prospective 700,000 barrels-a-day ...
The information economy’s dominant currencyThe information economy’s dominant currency
by Roopika Risam. Risam takes readers back to the dawn of data, charting the course of human recordkeeping from Mesopotamian farming to present-day surveillance technology. Inspired by an incident in her own life in which she discovered a singular database error that could have upended her world, Risam considers how ...
Unmanned shutdown of South African coal plant could wipe $550 million off country’s GDPUnmanned shutdown of South African coal plant could wipe $550 million off country’s GDP
An unmanaged shutdown of the Secuda coal-to-liquids plant operated by South African energy company Sasol could wipe $550 million off the country’s $400 billion economy and cost nearly 25,000 jobs, researchers said. The facility, the world’s largest single-site greenhouse gas emitter, supplies nearly a third of domestic fuel, making it ...